Two Misfits and a Night Fury
by AnimationNut
Summary: Being a social outcast in Berk is hard. But Hiccup knows it would be even more difficult if he didn't have his best friend and fellow social outcast, Sunset Hockerson, by his side. Join the two misfits as they encounter a Night Fury, learn how to accept themselves, and most importantly, how to train a dragon.
1. Night Fury Hunting

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Quotes that are directly from the movie are in bold.**

**Night Fury Hunting**

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was currently sprawled on his bedroom floor, scribbling madly in his beloved notebook. The moonlight that filtered in through the cracks in the roof illuminated the pages, allowing him to see better. His best (and only) friend, Sunset Hockerson, was perched on his bed, her emerald eyes watching him curiously.

"So, what exactly are you drawing this time?" Sunset hesitantly asked, unsure if the answer she would receive was one she wanted to know.

"I'm just triple-checking my latest invention to make sure that it'll work when I want it to," Hiccup answered.

"And the invention is...?"

Hiccup grinned proudly. "My Night Fury catcher!"

"Oh, Thor help us all." Sunset moaned and collapsed against the wooden headboard. "You're _still _going through with this ridiculous plan?"

"It's not ridiculous," Hiccup said indigently, snapping his notebook closed. "If I catch a Night Fury, I'll make my father proud, prove that I'm Viking material, and I might even get a girlfriend."

"Okay, even though I'm against the whole 'Viking violence' thing, can't you at least settle with catching a Nadder? Or a Gronkle?" Sunset suggested, trying to persuade her friend out of his crazy plan. "Even a Monstrous Nightmare wouldn't mangle you as badly as a Night Fury."

"I believe in achieving the greater things in life."

Sunset crossed her arms. "And that 'great thing' is a Night Fury?" She asked dubiously.

"Yes!" Hiccup exclaimed, getting to his feet. "Sun, aren't you tired of being treated like an outcast? Of everyone thinking you're not good enough? That you're weak, worthless?"

"Hiccup, you're brilliant. You're sophisticated. You're also the size of a twig. That's not Viking material." His redheaded friend pointed to herself. "Me? I don't know how to use a sword or an axe. I don't help hunt for food and I'm against slaughtering dragons. I'm against _violence _in general! That's _definitely _not Viking material. We're just not meant to be like the other Vikings."

"But we can change all that!" Hiccup cried. "When we catch a Night Fury, our lives will get infinitely better!"

Sunset frowned. "I don't think I'm getting through to you."

"And I don't think you understand what this can do for us!" Hiccup retorted.

Before they could squabble further, sudden shouts rang out from outside. A second later a deafening blast echoed across the island of Berk. Hiccup gasped and raced downstairs, Sunset right on his heels. He threw open the wooden door and almost instantly shut it again as a Monstrous Nightmare unleashed a torrent of fire. "Dragon attack!"

"I didn't notice," Sunset drawled. Her green eyes widened as Hiccup opened the door once more and charged outside. "Hiccup! You're not _really _going through with this, are you?"

Her friend continued running in the direction of Gobber the Belch's forge. With a moan Sunset reluctantly set off after him, her small legs working double-time to keep up. "Hiccup! Stoick is gonna kill us! You know he hates it when we're outside during a dragon attack!"

"He won't even not-"Hiccup began but was cut-off when he crashed into the man himself.

Chief Stoick the Vast glanced down to see who had run into him. Anger crossed his face when he realized it was his son and he grabbed Hiccup by the collar. "You! What are you doing out here?" His sharp gaze locked onto Sunset, who shrunk back. "What are _you _doing out here? Who let these two out?!"

A few Vikings mumbled and shrugged their shoulders as they passed, axes slung over their meaty shoulders.

"You two! Back inside! _Now!_" Stoick ordered before running off, sword in hand.

Hiccup waited until his father was out of sight before turning on his heel and dashing off. Sunset groaned in exasperation and hurried after him. The duo entered Gobber's forge, where Hiccup immediately started helping Gobber hand axes and other weapons to the eager Vikings. "Look who decided to show up."

"It was a last second decision," Sunset muttered, leaning against a wooden table and eyeing the sharp weapons warily. Despite the uneasy feeling she always got while in the forge, she hung around mostly because of Hiccup.

"I'm surprised you two haven't been carried off yet." Gobber said as he motioned for Hiccup to start sharpening the swords.

"Please," Hiccup snorted. "No dragon can handle all this!"

"He's right you know," Sunset drawled. "Any dragon who comes across Hiccup will be laughing too hard at his attempt to fight them to actually do any damage."

"Says the girl who refuses to lift an axe," Hiccup shot back.

"You're both fit to be a dragon's dinner, alright?" Gobber interjected. "Now stop squawking and start sharpening."

Hiccup went back to work and Sunset turned to watch the chaos happening outside the window. Her green eyes widened in dismay as a Monstrous Nightmare blew apart her hut. "Aw! My stuff!"

"Better your stuff than you," Gobber remarked idly.

Hiccup paused as he watched five Viking teens rush towards the roaring flames, wooden buckets in hand. His eyes lingered a little longer on Astrid Hofferson, a dreamy smile curling across his face. "**Their job is so much cooler**."

He was about to climb out the window to join them but Gobber hauled him back. "Don't even think about it."

"How am I supposed to make my mark if I'm stuck in here?" Hiccup demanded. "There are dragons to be caught!"

"He's going to catch a Night Fury," Sunset informed.

Gobber snorted. "Now there's something I'd like to see. And the last thing you need to do is make a mark, Hiccup. In fact, the both of you have made enough marks in this place! And not good ones, either."

"If you let us out, we'll kill a dragon _(I don't think so!) _and we'll be set for life!"

"Oh sure. Neither of you can use a sword or swing an axe and one of you refuses to do anything remotely violent." He gave Sunset a pointed look.

"I can't help it!" Sunset protested. "It's not my fault that the very idea of slaughtering a dragon makes me sick."

"That's why I'll do it, and bring Sunset with me on my rise to glory!" Hiccup said eagerly.

"And how are you going to do that when you can't even throw one of these?" Gobber demanded as he held up a bola.

"I don't need to know. This will throw it for me." Hiccup smirked proudly and went to grab his Night Fury catcher. He rolled it into the middle of the forge and grabbed the bola from Gobber. He put the bola into the proper position and flicked the lever. Sunset and Gobber watched as the bola flew from the catapult and struck the Viking on the other side of the counter.

"Well, you might not be able to catch a Night Fury with that thing, but you might be able to catch yourself a girlfriend." Sunset commented. Hiccup shot her a withering look.

"Minor issue." He snapped.

Gobber shook his head. "If you two want to show everyone else that you can be Vikings, than you need to stop being..."He paused and gestured in their direction. "...that."

Sunset crossed her arms. "**You just pointed to all of** us."

"There you go! **Stop being all of you**."

"You know, keeping us repressed like this will have consequences!" Hiccup threatened.

Gobber rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. **I'll take my chances.** Back to work."

Hiccup grumbled and grabbed the sword Gobber held out to him. "Sunset, hand me my axe attachment."

Sunset complied and watched as Gobber switched hands. "Alright, hold down the fort. **They need me out there.**"

Gobber went to the door and paused, turning around. "And you two stay put. Right there. And don't move." With a yell, he charged into the fray.

Hiccup grinned and grabbed his contraption. Sunset hesitated for a brief moment before helping her friend roll the Night Fury catcher out into the night. She seriously doubted he would actually catch a Night Fury, and so she figured she might as well play along.

The two charged into the mayhem, dodging Vikings and avoiding fire blasts. "What do you think you're doing?" One Viking demanded as they raced past.

"Don't worry, we'll be back soon!" Hiccup hollered.

They ran towards the cliff, where the viewpoint was best. Hiccup set up his contraption and stared intently into the night sky. Sunset shook her head, starting to wonder how long Hiccup was willing to wait.

And then she heard it.

Her eyes grew wide as she heard the impending sound of a Night Fury approaching. "Hiccup-"

"Ssh!" Hiccup hissed, keeping his eyes glued to the sky.

A tower behind them collapsed, illuminating the area with a wall of fire. Hiccup caught sight of his target and pressed the trigger. Sunset watched in disbelief as the bola shot off into the air, whistling for only a brief moment before striking something. A screech echoed in the air and Hiccup pumped his fist in triumph. "I did it! I did it!"

Sunset scowled and punched him in the shoulder. "You hurt it!" She accused, the shock being overwhelmed by concern for the beast.

"And I'm going to kill it." Hiccup said firmly. "As soon as I find it."

"Hiccup, you shouldn't-"

"Sun, I know how you feel about killing animals. But _please, _let me do this, and don't hate me for it." Hiccup grabbed her shoulders and looked at her pleadingly. "I don't want to lose the best and only friend I have, but I _need _this."

Sunset swallowed. As difficult as it was for her to know that the Night Fury would soon be killed by the hand of her best friend, she also knew that this meant everything to Hiccup. For so long, all he wanted was his father's acceptance and to be seen as a true Viking. Really, that's what they _both _wanted. They just had different ideas on how to achieve said acceptance.

But if Hiccup believed a killing a Night Fury would solve their problems, then she would not get in his way.

"Okay, Hiccup. I promise I won't hate you." Sunset finally said. "I know this means a lot to you."

Relief coursed across his face and he enveloped the girl into a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! I swear, when we bring the Night Fury back to the village, we'll be put on pedestals." He paused. "Unless you don't want to come with me-"

"I'll come," Sunset interrupted. "But I'm not helping you kill the Night Fury."

Hiccup nodded rapidly. "I totally get that."

A soft snarling caught their attention. Turning around slowly, they stared at the Monstrous Nightmare that was glaring down at him from the lip of the cliff.

"Eep." Sunset squeaked.

"Run!" Hiccup cried, grabbing Sunset's hand and tearing down the slope. The two screamed as the Monstrous Nightmare pursued them, fire blasts nearly frying them to a crisp.

"It's times like these where I question why I'm so against the slaughtering of dragons," Sunset panted as she ducked to avoid another fire blast.

"Over here!" Hiccup dragged Sunset through the plaza and the two pressed against a post seconds before the dragon unleashed a torrent of fire.

When the attack ended, the two teens peered cautiously around opposite ends of the post. "It's gone," Sunset breathed.

They turned back around, only to see the Monstrous Nightmare leering at them. "Not exactly," Hiccup rasped.

They squeezed their eyes shut, waiting for the fire blast that would finish them off. Before the dragon could do the deadly deed, Stoick jumped in between them and attacked the Monstrous Nightmare. The two kids watched with wide eyes as the tribe leader effectively defeated the dragon.

"And that's why there are rumors that he took a dragon's head clean off its shoulders when he was a baby," Hiccup muttered.

"I don't doubt it," Sunset agreed.

The two froze when the post they were hiding behind gave a mighty _creak_. The post collapsed due to the damage from the fire attack, slamming into a large iron basket. The two watched in dismay as a chain reaction started, eventually leading to a herd of Nadders being freed from the nets and flying away with their sheep.

Hiccup slowly turned to face his father. "Sorry...but, uh, I hit a Night Fury."

The boy yelped as his father grabbed him by collar. Stoick pressed a firm hand against Sunset's back, bringing them both away from the glowering crowd.

"I'm serious this time!" Hiccup insisted. "I hit a Night Fury!"

"He really did," Sunset chimed in.

"And if we gather a search party, we can-"

"**STOP!**" Stoick thundered. He dropped his son beside Sunset and glared down at the two. "Whenever you two try to do something chaos always happens. And now because of your little shenanigans, we've lost a herd of sheep. **Winter's almost here and I have a village to feed!**"

Hiccup cast a brief glance at the crowd behind them. "Well, to be honest, I think most of them could do with _less _feeding."

Sunset pressed a dainty hand over her mouth to quell her giggles.

Stoick was not amused. "Everything is a joke to you, isn't it Hiccup?"

"Not _everything_-"

"And you can't follow orders," Stoick continued. "Neither of you. I tell you to stay inside, and you come rushing out to catch a dragon."

"It's in my blood, Dad!" Hiccup insisted.

Stoick shook his head. "Hiccup, you're just not a dragon killer. And Sunset is _definitely_ not a dragon killer. Gobber, make sure Hiccup gets back home. Sunset, you too."

"Er, my home was kinda fried in the chaos." Sunset said nervously.

Stoick rubbed his temples. "Then I suppose you'll have to stay with us until we rebuild your home. I'll let your father know where he can find you after everything is cleaned up. Now go."

_Like my father will care where I am, _Sunset thought miserably as she followed Hiccup and Gobber towards Hiccup's house. On the way they passed the other Viking teens, who smirked at them.

"That was a great show," Tuffnut Thorston snickered.

"**I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!**" Snotlout Jorgenson laughed.

Sunset scowled and Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, I was trying."

The trio entered the house and Hiccup immediately started pacing. Sunset sat down in one of the wooden chairs and watched her friend sympathetically. "Hiccup really did hit a Night Fury." She said to Gobber.

"Uh-huh," he answered dubiously.

"Too bad my dad doesn't listen," Hiccup muttered.

"It's a family trait." Gobber drawled.

"And he always looks at me with this disappointed scowl. It's not my fault I'm built like a toothpick."

"**It's not so much what you look like.**" Gobber corrected. "**It's what's inside that he can't stand.**"

"Not helping!" Sunset snapped.

Gobber shook his head. "Look, you just have to **stop trying so hard to be something you're not**, the both of you." He gave them both an affectionate slap on the back before leaving. Hiccup waited a few moments before whirling around and staring at Sunset determinedly.

"Let's go get that Night Fury."

**This is my first HTTYD fanfic, and I hope people like it :P If there are any mistakes or I've done something horribly wrong, please point it out nicely xD**

**Review please, and no flames!**


	2. Be Careful What You Wish For

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. **

*********QUOTES THAT ARE DIRECTLY FROM THE MOVIE ARE IN BOLD*********

**Be Careful What You Wish For**

As Hiccup and Sunset hurried into the forest in search of the fallen Night Fury, Stoick was in the Great Hall with the majority of his tribe. "We need to end this now!" Stoick snapped. "If we don't finish the dragons off first, then they'll finish us. All we have to do is find the nest and destroy it."

"Is that all?" Gobber drawled.

Stoick ignored his friend. "We'll set out on one more search before winter strikes."

"But no one ever makes it back from _those _searches," One Viking complained.

Stoick shrugged. "Being a Viking is an occupational hazard. Now who's going to volunteer?"

Everyone avoided eye contact. Stoick crossed his arms. "Fine then. Those who want to stay behind will look after Hiccup and Sunset."

Immediately every hand shot up. Stoick smiled. "We sail right at dawn. I suggest you all pack the necessary supplies."

The Vikings filed out and Gobber took a sip from his mug. "And what makes you think we'll find the nest this time?"

"This area is the only place we haven't looked." Stoick answered, gesturing towards the crudely drawn map in the middle of the table. "And while _I _lead the search, _you _will stay here and train new recruits."

"And who's going to watch the stall while I'm gone?" Gobber asked. "Hiccup, the boy who is known to hurt himself around sharp objects? Or Sunset, the girl who has a deep loathing over all weapons? And you know one never does anything without the other, so I'm sure having both of them run the stall won't end in disaster."

Stoick sighed and collapsed on the bench beside Gobber. "I don't know what to do with him."

"I do. Put him in training."

The tribe leader shot Gobber a disbelieving glance. "You're joking."

"I'm not."

"The second you let the first dragon out into the arena he'll be killed." Stoick snapped.

"I'm sure that won't happen."

"I'm sure it will."

Gobber shook his head. "And I'm sure it won't."

Stoick sighed in exasperation. "Gobber, you knowHiccup's always been different, ever since he was a wee lad**.** I try to take him fishing and he wants to go looking for trolls."

"Who, by the way, do exist." Gobber said firmly. "They steal your left socks."

"Even Sunset worries me," Stoick continued, ignoring Gobber's remark,"and you and I both know her father has long since given up on her. Ever since she was old enough to be able to learn how to use a knife she's refused. We've known the girl since Hiccup met her when they were wee toddlers. She's like family. And knowing that neither of them is going to last long in the world is a little worrying. You know, when I was young-"

"And here we go," Gobber muttered.

"-I was told by my father to bang my head against a rock. And even though I thought it was crazy, I still did it. And do you know what happened?"

"Your skull cracked?" Gobber asked sarcastically.

"The rock split in half." Stoick said. "That one moment showed me what a Viking could really do. At that moment I knew what I was to become." He let out a sigh. "That boy is not Hiccup."

"You're not always going to be around to protect him, Stoick." Gobber pointed out. "You can't stop him from doing what Hiccup does, you can only prepare him. The same goes for Sunset. As much as she'll hate the idea, she needs this. They both do."

Stoick nodded slowly. "Alright. I still think it's a bad idea, but I'll put them both in."

"I'm sure they'll be overjoyed." Gobber grinned slightly. "Especially Sunset."

...

"_Oof!" _Sunset grunted as yet another branch caught her across the face. "Hiccup, do you have any idea where you're going?"

Her friend drew quickly in his notebook, attempting to pinpoint their position before giving up and scribbling over his make-shift map in frustration. "How is it possible for someone to lose an entire dragon?"

"It's just our luck," Sunset shrugged. The two came upon and gorged and peered hopefully over it. But nothing was there.

Hiccup groaned. He kicked a tree trunk in frustration and pain immediately shot up his ankle. "Okay, bad idea."

As he hopped around holding his injury, he noticed that the tree trunk was snapped. He turned around slowly and spotted a trail of upturned earth along with some fallen tree branches. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"I don't think it can mean anything else," Sunset remarked and the two raced along the possibly dragon-made trench. They climbed up a hill and spotted the Night Fury tied up in the bola resting at the foot. It didn't appear to be alive.

"Okay, I'm just gonna wait here." Sunset muttered, feeling a little sick. "Try not to make him suffer."

"I won't," Hiccup promised and slid down the slop. He stood over the dragon with a dagger in hand. "This is it!" He said in excitement. "This is going to fix everything."

He put his foot on the dragon in victory.

The dragon moved.

Hiccup jumped and moved back a few steps. He thrust out his dagger and nervously moved around the Night Fury so he could get a better look at its face.

The Night Fury was glaring at him, no sign of fear within his gaze. Hiccup swallowed and approached the dragon once more. "This is it, dragon. I'm going to kill you. I'm gonna cut out your heart-"

"No you're not!" Sunset interrupted, peering over the edge of the hill and glaring at her friend. "We'll _show _your father the Night Fury. You're not cutting anything out!"

Hiccup sighed in exasperation. "Okay, okay! Fine." He took a deep breath and raised his dagger. "This is it! I _am _a Viking!"

"I can't look," Sunset pressed her hands over her eyes.

Hiccup stared at the dragon, and the dragon did not flinch. The Night Fury's breathing was laboured, and after a moment the Night Fury closed its eyes and prepared itself for the deadly blow.

The boy suddenly found that he couldn't do it. Now that he was in the position he dreamed of for so long, he couldn't go through with it. Hiccup lowered his dagger and sighed heavily. "This is my fault."

"What?" Sunset cautiously peeked through her fingers. When she saw that the dragon was still alive, she carefully climbed down the hill towards Hiccup. "You're not going to kill it?"

"No."

Sunset hugged him. "Oh, thank you! Now we can let the poor thing go."

Hiccup nervously glanced at the Night Fury. He knew he couldn't leave the beast there, but he also knew there was a good chance the dragon would kill him if he set it free. "Leave."

Sunset blinked. "Why?"

"This dragon might kill me when I free it. In fact, there's a very good chance that it will."

Sunset crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere."

Hiccup sighed in frustration. "Will you at least hide at the top of the hill then? I don't want you getting hurt."

"What about you?" Sunset asked in concern.

"This was my stupid idea." Hiccup said grimly. "And I'm going to fix it."

Sunset nodded slowly and hurried back up the hill. Hiccup went to the dragon and started cutting through the ropes. The Night Fury opened its green eyes in surprise and watched as the boy cut the ropes that were binding it.

As the last rope snapped off the Night Fury pounced on Hiccup, pinning him to the ground. Hiccup froze in terror as the dragon stared intensely at him. Very slowly, the Night Fury drifted its gaze to the girl, who was staring at her friend in horror. She gave the dragon a pleading glance.

The Night Fury snorted and stared once more at Hiccup. After a few seconds it opened its mouth and roared in Hiccup's face.

Immediately after the roar the dragon took off, flying clumsily through the sky. Hiccup rolled over and slowly got to his feet. Sunset raced to his side. "Hiccup! Are you okay?"

His knees buckled and he collapsed in response. Sunset let out a sigh of relief. "He's fine."

...

"That was possible the scariest thing I've ever had to face. Other than my father, of course." Hiccup said as he and Sunset walked to his house (as Sunset's home was not yet rebuilt).

"I think we should just avoid dragons for a little while." Sunset suggested. "Or maybe forever."

The two walked into Hiccup's house to see Stoick waiting for them. The tribe leader leaned against the wall and stared at them. "Son. Sunset."

"Hello, sir." Sunset greeted nervously.

"Dad," Hiccup swallowed. "I have to talk with you."

"And I need to have a word with you."

The two spoke at the same time, the topics of which they wanted to talk to the other about becoming mangled together. Hiccup scratched his head. "Uh, sorry. You can go first."

Stoick nodded. "You get what you want, son. You and Sunset will start dragon training tomorrow morning."

Sunset's eyes widened. "But I don't-!"

"You need to," Stoick said firmly. "If you don't learn how to defend yourself you'll be dragon food. I won't have that. You're going to dragon training, and that's an order."

"Okay, I probably should have gone first." Hiccup said frantically as he placed a steadying hand on Sunset's shoulder (the girl looked like she would faint at any moment). "You know, I was thinking about and I decided that I'm probably more suited to be bread-maker rather than a-"

"You're going to need this." Stoick held out two axes. Sunset shrunk back and Hiccup shook his head.

"Okay, Dad, listen, I realized I don't want to kill dragons."

"Of course you do." Stoick said.

"Let me rephrase. I realize that I _can't _kill dragons." Hiccup tried once more to make his father understand.

"I _don't _kill dragons," Sunset piped up, spooked by the very idea.

"You will."

"Are you even listening?" Hiccup cried in exasperation.

"Hiccup, this is it." Stoick forced the axes into the teens' hands. "When you two carry those axes, you're carrying all the Vikings with you. You will _be _a Viking. Not...this." He gestured at Hiccup and Sunset.

"But you just gestured to all of us," Hiccup pointed out.

Stoick crossed his arms. "Do we have a deal?"

"No," Sunset squeaked.

"I'm starting to think my opinion isn't being taken into account," Hiccup added.

Stoick stared sternly at the two. "Do we have a deal?"

Aware that he had no other choice, Hiccup nodded.

Satisfied, Stoick grabbed his bag and helmet. "I expect the both of you to train hard. I'll probably be back."

"And we may or may not be here." Hiccup responded.

Stoick nodded and left. Sunset held out the axe with disgust. "I can't do this, Hiccup."

"It was a direct order," Hiccup pointed out. "You know the consequences of defying a direct order from Stoick the Vast."

Sunset shivered. "At this point, I'm not sure which is worse-having to harm dragons or facing said consequences."

...

The following morning found Hiccup and Sunset walking nervously into the large stone arena behind the other recruits. Tuffnut scanned the place with an approving nod. "I better get some burns out of this."

"Or some mauling," His twin sister, Ruffnut added. "Like on the lower back."

"It's not as much fun unless you get scar out of it." Astrid Hofferson agreed.

"Who doesn't love pain?" Hiccup voiced.

The other teens turned around and groaned upon seeing Hiccup and Sunset. "Well, at least the dragons will have a tasty snack today." Tuffnut remarked.

"Quiet down!" Gobber called as he entered the arena. "Now, the best recruit will have the honour of killing their first dragon in front of the village."

"Since Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, does that disqualify him?" Snotlout asked.

"And why not disqualify Sunset right now?" Ruffnut added. "Before she impales herself with a sword."

Gobber patted Hiccup and Sunset on the back in support. He moved them away from the laughing teens. "The dragons won't see you as much of a target like the other Vikings. They'll think you're sick or insane and leave you alone."

"I don't know how I feel about that," Hiccup remarked as Gobber pushed them in line with the other teens. Sunset stared at the closed gates, the bellowing of dragons making her knees tremble.

"There are dragons of different species behind these gates, all of which you will learn to fight."

Sunset whimpered. Hiccup squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"There's the Deadly Nadder," Gobber listed.

"**Speed eight. Armour sixteen.**" Fishlegs Ingerman said eagerly.

"And there's the Hideous Zippleback-"

"**Plus eleven stealth. Times two**."

"-and the Monstrous Nightmare,"

"**Firepower fifteen**."

"And of course the Terrible Terror."

"**Attack eight. Venom twelve**."

Gobber whirled around and glared at Fishlegs in exasperation. "Will you stop that?!"

Fishlegs went silent.

"Finally, there's the Gronkle." Gobber finished.

"**Jaw strength eight.**" Fishlegs muttered under his breath.

Gobber yanked on the lever, the iron gates rolling up.

"Hold it!" Snotlout shouted. "You haven't taught us anything yet!"

Gobber smirked. "I believe in learning from experience."

A Gronkle charged into the ring, snorting madly. The recruits scattered.

"What's the first thing you're going to need?" Gobber asked the group of scrambling teens.

"A grave stone?" Hiccup and Sunset cried, diving out of the way of the charging Gronkle.

"We need shields," Astrid called, her posture tense in preparation for a possible attack.

"Good. Now go get them."

Hiccup and Sunset raced towards two shields. Hiccup struggled to lift his and Sunset helped him out. "I don't think I can do this," Sunset moaned.

"We're not harming it," Hiccup pointed out, getting a better grip. "We're just protecting our faces from being burned off."

"That's true," Sunset agreed, oddly feeling a little bit better.

The sound of a fire blast caused the two to jump in surprise.

"You're out, Ruffnut and Tuffnut." Gobber called.

"Okay, maybe we should keep moving." Sunset said nervously. Hiccup nodded and they backed into the corner of the arena where the other teens were.

"Those shields are good for another thing," Gobber informed. "Use it to make lots of noise to throw off the dragons aim."

The teens took his advice and started banging on their shields. The Gronkle blinked and looked around wildly, unsure of where to fire.

"And how many shots does a Gronkle have?" Gobber asked.

"They have six!" Fishlegs shouted.

"Perfect," Gobber nodded. "That's almost one for each of you!"

"I really don't think-" Fishlegs started to say but was cut off by a blast from the Gronkle. His thrust his shield up and the fire blast blew the shield from his hands.

"And you're out." Gobber called. He glanced around the arena and frowned when he did not spot Hiccup and Sunset. He spotted them cowering behind the shield rack. "You two! Get in there!"

"I'm not cut out for this!" Sunset cried as she and Hiccup reluctantly climbed from their hiding spot.

"Maybe we can fake sick tomorrow," Hiccup suggested. "I think Gobber will take pity on us."

"Snotlout, you're out!" Gobber hollered suddenly.

"We're almost done," Sunset breathed just as Astrid rolled over to them. She jumped to her feet, bouncing on her heels and prepared to dodge another attack.

Hiccup swallowed thickly. "Hey, Astrid. What's-?"

"A little busy here," Astrid snapped and dove out of the way as the Gronkle fired. Gobber frowned as the blast struck Sunset's shield. He relaxed when he noted that the attack didn't injure the girl and only sent her off balance. Sunset yelped as she toppled backwards into Hiccup, accidently knocking the shield from his hand.

"Sorry!" She cried.

"Sunset, you're out!"

The redhead shot Hiccup an encouraging smile before racing towards Gobber. Hiccup chased after his shield, the Gronkle running after him. Before Hiccup could grab his shield the Gronkle knocked him against the wall.

"Watch out, Hiccup!" Gobber shouted. He jumped into the arena and wrenched the Gronkle's head to the side just as it fired. The blast missed Hiccup by inches.

Gobber dragged the Gronkle back to the cage. "Alright, get in there, you beast. You can try again tomorrow."

Sunset hurried over to Hiccup and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine," Hiccup muttered.

Gobber turned to study the recruits. "No matter what, dragonswill _always _go for the kill. Training resumes tomorrow. Now get out of here."

The teens filed out of the arena, chatting about the recent events. Sunset walked beside Hiccup and noticed that he was deep in thought. "What's up?"

Hiccup looked at her. "If dragons always go for the kill, why didn't the Night Fury?"

Sunset didn't have an answer.

**I stated this above and in the previous chapter, but **_**just **_**in case you missed it, the sentences that are bolded are direct quotes from the movie. The reason I have them bolded is so that people know what is in my own words and what isn't mine.**

**Review please :) **


	3. Deadly Nadders are Deadly

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**Deadly Nadders are Deadly**

"Hiccup, _why _are we looking for the Night Fury again?" Sunset asked in exasperation as she followed her best friend through the forest once more.

"I want to know why it didn't kill me," Hiccup replied. "I think I saw it go down in the cove."

"So, we're going into the cove with high rock walls, where there's no quick escape route in case the Night Fury decides to fry us to a crisp." Sunset said flatly.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Sunset sighed. "The things I do for you," she muttered.

The two came upon the rocky crevice that led to the cove. They followed it and cautiously entered the circular area. A pool of water rested in the middle of the cove, and steep rock walls were all around them.

Hiccup scanned the cove thoroughly and sighed. "Well, this was kind of stupid."

"Not entirely," Sunset said as she bent down and picked up a black dragon scale from the grass. "He's definitely here."

Hiccup arched an eyebrow. "He?"

"Well, the Night Fury has to have a gender, and I don't want to keep saying 'it', so by default, it's a 'he'," Sunset explained.

At that moment the topic of their conversation flew past, latching onto the rock walls and attempting to climb them desperately. After a moment the Night Fury fell back to the ground, his wings flapping wildly.

Excited, Hiccup yanked out his notebook and started drawing madly in it. Sunset peered over his shoulder and shook her head when she realized he was drawing a picture of the dragon. "Because that's what Vikings do when they come across a dragon," she drawled.

Hiccup ignored her and finished his drawing. He glanced up and frowned quizzically. "Why doesn't he just fly away?"

Sunset spotted the problem. "His tail!"

Hiccup followed her concerned gaze and found that half of the Night Fury's tailfin was gone. Guilt welled up in his chest as he corrected his drawing.

It was then Night Fury noticed the two. He stared at them unflinchingly. After a while, Sunset tugged on Hiccup's arm. "Come on," she whispered. "We have to be at the Great Hall. Gobber said he wanted to meet with us and the other recruits."

Hiccup nodded, slowly tearing his gaze away from the Night Fury. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go."

...

A heavy wind blew outside the Great Hall, making the doors rattle. Gobber paced the length of the table where the recruits were sitting. "Someone tell me where Astrid went wrong in the arena today."

"It was my summersault dive." Astrid answered with a small frown. "I mistimed it, and it threw my reverse tumble off."

"I wish I could do a summersault, let alone a summersault dive." Sunset muttered under her breath, picking at her food.

"And where did Hiccup and Sunset go wrong?" Gobber asked.

Tuffnut snickered. "They showed up."

"We're never where we should be," Sunset admitted reluctantly.

Gobber smiled at her. "Exactly." He removed a large book from behind his back and tossed it in the middle of the table. "This is the dragon manual. I want you to memorize it. The information you get from this thing might just save your life."

"Wait, you want us to _read_?" Tuffnut asked in disbelief as Gobber exited the Great Hall.

Snotlout snorted. "Like reading words is gonna help us kill stuff."

"Did you guys know that there's a water dragon that breathes scalding water instead of fire?" Fishlegs asked.

"We do now," Tuffnut drawled.

"And now there's no point in _reading_." Ruffnut shuddered at the very idea.

"Okay, you dorks can read. I'm gonna go kill some stuff." Snotlout and the twins got up and left the Hall with Fishlegs hurrying after them, continuing to recite facts about dragons.

Astrid looked at Hiccup and Sunset disinterestedly. "You guys have fun." She said sarcastically before following her friends.

"And then there were two." Sunset sighed.

Hiccup dragged the book over to them and started flipping through it. "The Thunderdrum. This dragon is reclusive and is known to live in sea caves. The concussive sound the Thunderdrum makes when startled can kill a man. It is extremely dangerous. **Kill on sight**."

"Lesson; don't startle a Thunderdrum." Sunset drawled.

Her friend flipped through the pages a little more quickly. "Timberjacks cut down full grown trees with their sharp wings. Changewings spray acid."

"And I'm guessing all of them are extremely dangerous and we should kill them on sight?" Sunset asked knowingly.

Hiccup nodded idly as he flipped to the last page, which was mostly blank save for the choppy title at the top of the page and a few vague details. "There is nothing known about the Night Fury. All this tells me is to avoid one at all costs."

"Well, of course there wouldn't be anything on a Night Fury." Sunset leaned against the table, her long red hair brushing her elbow. "I think we're the first ones to ever get close to a Night Fury. Probably the first to survive an encounter with a Night Fury."

Hiccup nodded thoughtfully. "I wonder if there's anything out there that has information on Night Furies."

Sunset shrugged. "If there is, it's not in the manual."

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Hiccup rolled his eyes. He snapped the book closed and got to his feet. "Well, we have another day of pain tomorrow. We better get some sleep."

"Because a good night's sleep is totally going to help us in the arena tomorrow morning." Sunset muttered. "Well, at least I have a house to sleep in now." She cast a glance at the storm outside before sighing. "See you later, Hiccup."

"Bye, Sun."

The girl raced into the rainy night. Hiccup took one last glance at the book before making his own mad dash for home.

There was something about that Night Fury that intrigued him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was going to do what he could to fill the last page in the book.

...

"I hate this," Sunset grumbled, her back pressed against a wall of the make-shift maze Gobber had constructed. She could hear the Deadly Nadder moving about, attempting to find them.

Hiccup was crouched beside her, axe in hand. Since Sunset refused to handle a weapon of any kind, Hiccup had given her his shield while he used the axe. Sunset knew that she would be forced to use a weapon sooner or later, and she'd rather it be later.

_Much _later.

"Why can't we learn anything useful?" Hiccup complained. "Like Night Furies?"

Sunset shook her head. "The only way you're going to get the information is if you find it out yourself," she said distractedly as she peered around the wall. The Nadder had jumped on top of the walls and was moving about. "Hiccup, we need to-"She turned around to see a look of realization on his face. She groaned. "And I just gave you an idea."

"Why can't we find out information on a Night Fury ourselves?" Hiccup asked.

The Nadder suddenly landed on their wall. Its tail flicked up and spikes appeared. Sunset grabbed Hiccup's arm and they both jumped out of the way, seconds before getting impaled. "That's why!" Sunset snapped as they ran through the maze. "We tend to have many near-death experiences when it comes to situations like this."

"Come on, you're not even trying!" Gobber called down.

"Give us a hint on how to deal with this thing!" Snotlout hollered.

"Find its blind spot, hide in said blind spot, and attack. How's that for a hint?"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were the first ones to find the blind spot-right in front of the Nadder's nose. But of course, they immediately started fighting. The Nadder's ears perked up and it started snapping at both of them.

"I said blind spot, not deaf spot." Gobber yelled.

The teens raced behind another set of walls as the Nadder went back into its position atop them. Hiccup and Sunset crouched behind the wall, a few feet away from Astrid. The feeling of safety was short-lived, however, as the Nadder jumped on top of Astrid's wall. The girl immediately rolled into its blind spot, confusing the Nadder.

Before she could attack Snotlout pushed her to side. "Don't worry, babe. I got this."

He threw his axe, which completely missed the Nadder. Sunset let out a soft sigh of relief.

Astrid glared at him. Snotlout threw his hands in the air. "It's not my fault the sun was in my eyes. What do you want me to do about it?"

The Nadder chased after Astrid, knocking down walls in the pursuit. Sunset gaped as Astrid executed perfect flips and cartwheels. "Why can't I do that?"

Hiccup inched closer to Gobber, who was observing from the stands. "So...are you positive there isn't any information on Night Furies? Not even-"

"Hiccup!" Sunset cried suddenly.

The boy glanced up to see a wall crashing down towards him. Astrid jumped and knocked them out of the way. The blonde landed on top of the flustered Hiccup.

"Ooh, talk about love on the battlefield!" Tuffnut cackled.

"Oh please," Snotlout snorted.

The Nadder emerged from the cloud of dust. Astrid tried to hank her axe from Hiccup's shield, but only managed in yanking the shield off Hiccup's arm. She spun around and threw the combined projectile at the Nadder's nose. The target was struck and the Nadder scurried off, whimpering.

Astrid glowered down at Hiccup. "**Is this some kind of a joke to you? Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on**."

Hiccup slumped as the teens left the arena. Sunset walked over and helped him to his feet. "Don't listen to her, Hiccup. We're not here by choice."

"I know." Hiccup sighed. "But it still stung."

Sunset slung an arm around his shoulder as they walked out into the sunny afternoon. "We got the rest of the day to kill. What do you want to do?"

Hiccup glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Sunset shook her head with a small smile. "You want to visit the Night Fury, huh?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"Sometimes. Most of the time though, you're just plain weird."

**Keep calm and...review! xD**


	4. Befriending a Night Fury

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**Befriending a Night Fury**

"Is he there?" Sunset whispered.

Hiccup motioned for her to be quiet. He tossed the fish they had taken from Bucket's supply into the cove. They waited a few seconds, but the dragon did not come to investigate.

The friends climbed out of their hiding spot and Hiccup retrieved the fish. "I wonder where he is."

"Uh...right there."

Surprised, Hiccup turned to see the Night Fury perched on a rock above them. He jumped down and slowly approached them, his yellow eyes narrowed into slits.

"Offer him the fish!" Sunset hissed frantically. "Before we become Night Fury dinner!"

"Alright! Calm down, will you?" Hiccup snapped. He cautiously held out the offering, hoping that the Night Fury wouldn't bite his hand off.

The dragon started to growl. Hiccup swallowed nervously. "What am I doing wrong?"

Sunset frowned and glanced at her friend. She noticed that the hilt of his dagger that was around his waist was showing. "He's uneasy about the dagger. Here-"She went to remove it, but when she touched the handle the dragon snarled. Sunset pushed down her nerves and gave a small (and hopefully comforting) smile at the Night Fury as she grabbed the dagger and tossed it away.

The dragon relaxed.

"Good job," Hiccup smiled.

The Night Fury approached the fish and opened his mouth. Hiccup was surprised to see that there were no teeth. "Toothless, huh? I was sure you had-"

Before Hiccup could finish his sentence the razor-sharp teeth emerged from his gums and the Night Fury grabbed the fish, swallowing it whole.

"Wow," Sunset said in awe.

The Night Fury came closer expectantly. Hiccup paled and held up his hands. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any more!"

The dragon sat in front of the two. After a moment the dragon regurgitated a chunk of fish and looked at the teens, waiting. Sunset pressed a hand over her mouth, unsure if she should be amused or disgusted. "I think he wants us to eat it."

"Of course he does." Hiccup muttered. He gingerly picked up the fish and took a small bite. He gagged, but managed to swallow. "Your turn," he rasped, handing the slimy fish to Sunset.

Sunset closed her eyes and took a bite. "Thanks," she muttered. She smiled, and the dragon mimicked her. "Aw, he's so cute!"

Feeling brave, Hiccup slowly extended his hand to pet the dragon. The Night Fury hissed and flew crookedly to the other side of the cove, where he heated the mossy ground up to a burning temperature and curled up like a dog.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome," Sunset whispered.

"Hold on," Hiccup carefully followed the dragon and sat beside him. The Night Fury eyed him for a moment before turning around and closing his eyes. Hiccup observed the dragon, amazed. Hesitantly, he went to touch the damaged tail.

"_ROAR!"_

Hiccup jumped to his feet and raced over to Sunset. "Yeah, we've overstayed our welcome," he said hurriedly and dragged her out of the cove.

Neither noticed the dragon snickering behind them.

...

"You know, he needs a name." Sunset said thoughtfully as the duo walked back to the village.

Hiccup rubbed his chin. "How about Toothless? I think it has a nice ring to it."

"Toothless the Night Fury," Sunset echoed. She grinned. "I like it."

Her friend suddenly started to laugh. "Can you believe we're naming a Night Fury rather than killing it, like other Vikings would do?"

Sunset shrugged. "I guess that's why we're different from the others. And I don't think that's a bad thing at all."

Hiccup stared at the orangey-red sky. "You know what? Neither do I."

A moment of silence passed before Hiccup spoke again. "If we get up early tomorrow, we could visit Toothless before training."

Sunset smiled. "That sounds like a great idea. One of the best you've had in a while, actually."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up."

...

Dawn had just broken over Berk, and the early morning found the two teens racing to the cove. They immediately spotted the Night Fury hanging from a tree, sleeping. "Let's wait and see if he wakes up," Hiccup whispered. He sat down in the dirt and picked up a twig. "What should I draw?"

"Why don't you draw Toothless?" Sunset suggested, lying down in the sand to watch him sketch.

The two did not notice when Toothless woke up. He glanced curiously at the teens and made his way over to them. He peered carefully over Hiccup's shoulder to see what he was doing. Hiccup and Sunset exchanged glances, but Hiccup did not stop drawing.

Toothless ran off and Sunset watched in disbelief as the dragon uprooted an entire sapling. He ran back and started to draw large, random lines in the sand. "I've never seen anything like it," Sunset whispered as she watched Toothless make his art.

The Night Fury stopped and surveyed his work, seeming quite pleased. The two kids got up, accidentally stepping on the lines. Toothless instantly growled and the teens removed their foot. The dragon stopped growling once they did so.

"Huh..." Hiccup muttered and started stepping in between lines, attempting to see what Toothless had done. Sunset followed after him carefully, not wanting to upset the dragon by stepping on his work.

Hiccup accidently bumped into Toothless as he stepped around another line. Slowly, Hiccup glanced up to see that they were face-to-face. Sunset appeared behind him and peered curiously over her friend's shoulder. Hiccup closed his eyes and extended his hand. To his utter surprise, Toothless brought his muzzle forward and placed it against Hiccup's hand. Amazed, Sunset hesitantly reached out and petted Toothless' head, to which she got no protest.

Suddenly, Toothless rushed off. Hiccup and Sunset stared at each other with wide eyes before reluctantly leaving the cove.

Now that they had befriended Toothless, it didn't seem right to go to a place where they would be taught to slaughter his fellow dragon-kind.

...

After another gruelling training session, dusk found the teens and Gobber sitting around a bonfire in the abandoned catapult tower. Gobber was regaling the teens with his story on how his lost his limbs. Hiccup and Sunset (who have heard this story multiple times before) focussed on eating their fried fish.

"Wouldn't it be cool if you could still control your hand while it was still inside the dragon?" Fishlegs asked. "You could just tell it to squeeze the dragon's insides, and it would do it!"

"Careful, Fishlegs. You might upset Sunset with all this violent talk." Snotlout snickered.

Sunset scowled into the fire. Hiccup glared. "Back off, Snotlout."

"Ooh! I'm so scared! The Night Fury killer is mad at me!"

"Alright, settle down, all of you!" Gobber ordered.

"What's the best way to defeat a dragon?" Snotlout asked, mostly for the effect of making Sunset sick. Hiccup gripped the stick he was using to cook his fish and was about to yell at his cousin (sadly) for being so insensitive. Sunset put a hand on his shoulder before he could say anything and smiled with assurance.

Gobber hesitated, not wanting to make the girl he knew since she was a toddler uncomfortable. "Well..."

"It's cool," Sunset said and pressed her hands over her ears. "Just let me know when you've finished the gruesome, inhuman tale on how to properly kill a dragon."

"You have to damage the wings and tail, first of all." Gobber said quickly before the other teens could heckle Sunset for her hatred of dragon slaying. "You know, once a dragon is downed, it's as good as dead."

Hiccup swallowed thickly.

"Alright, off to bed, all of you. Tomorrow is when you fight the big boys. Soon you'll be facing the Monstrous Nightmare." Gobber grinned. "And I wonder who will get the honour of killing it."

"It's totally gonna be me," Tuffnut said confidently as Hiccup nudged Sunset to let her know that most of the gruesome talk was over.

"Oh, please." Ruffnut snorted.

"It totally is!" Tuffnut insisted. "Killing that Monstrous Nightmare is my destiny! I even got the birthmark to prove it." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a red dragon.

"Yeah, that's a tattoo." Astrid rolled her eyes.

"It is not!"

Ruffnut snorted. "I've been trapped with you since we were born, and that was _not _there before."

"I've always had it," Tuffnut retorted. "You've just always been on my right side until now."

As the group continued to argue with Tuffnut, Hiccup silently got up and left the tower with Sunset right behind him. Astrid watched the two go with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Hiccup?" Sunset asked as they walked into the cool night air.

"A downed dragon is a good as dead dragon," Hiccup echoed Gobber's words. "It's my fault Toothless' tail is damaged. I can't just let him sit in the cove. I have to help him."

Sunset cocked her head. "How?"

"Well...I was thinking that I could make him a new tailfin." Hiccup said hesitantly, unsure how his friend would react.

"That's a great idea!" Sunset grinned. "You're just on a roll with these brainstorms, aren't you?"

Hiccup laughed. "Well, I figure that I'm bound to have a lucky streak at some point."

The two entered the blacksmith stall. Hiccup immediately got to work, sketching a mechanical tailfin on a piece of paper. Sunset sat down by the door of the stall and watched as her friend worked. She had no idea how to do half the things Hiccup could, but it didn't bother her. She enjoyed watching Hiccup as he worked with fire and metal, manipulating them into certain complex shapes and attaching pieces together.

"You're really good at this kind of stuff," she complimented as Hiccup unfurled the finished product.

Hiccup flushed. "It's nothing, really. I can teach you how to make things like these sometime, if you want."

"I may just take you up on that offer." Sunset smiled. "But right now, we really should be getting some sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, sure." Hiccup carefully put his creation in a safe spot. "We can meet here at dawn to show Toothless his new accessory."

"I'm sure he'll love it. That thing will make him the coolest dragon on the island."

Hiccup grinned. "Toothless is already the coolest dragon on the island-he's a Night Fury."

Sunset smirked. "Touché."

...

The two teens were now accustomed to getting up at the break of dawn. Sunset managed to snag a basket of fish from their food storage and the two friends made their way to the cove. "Be gentle," Sunset cautioned as they climbed through the rocky crevice. "I know I'd flip out if something wanted to attach something to my backend, so I can only imagine how Toothless will feel."

"It'll be fine," Hiccup said, although to assure himself more than Sunset. "And besides, that's what the fish is for. To keep him distracted."

Toothless was resting by the water and immediately sat up when the duo approached him. "Hey, Toothless." Sunset greeted, dropping the basket and kicking it over. The contents spilled out onto the grass and Toothless sniffed it eagerly.

"We brought you breakfast." Hiccup explained as he made his way behind the dragon.

"There's salmon," Sunset said as she tossed the fish in the air. Toothless nabbed it hungrily. "We got some Icelandic cod-you like that too, huh? Oh, here's a smoked eel-"

Toothless shied away from the seafood Sunset held out. He hissed violently and the girl quickly tossed the eel away. Toothless calmed down and started eating the rest of the fish. "I don't blame you. I don't like smoked eel either," Sunset agreed.

As his friend distracted Toothless with the fish, Hiccup carefully sat on his tail to keep it still. He bit his lip in concentration as he fastened the mechanical tailfin to Toothless' tail and pulled the fin out. "Perfect." He smiled.

Sunset frowned nervously when Toothless' head snapped up. "Uh, Hiccup, I think you should-"

Too late.

Toothless flew into the air. Hiccup shouted in surprise and clung to the Night Fury's tail for dear life. "Hold on a minute!" He cried frantically.

Sunset watched in concern as the pair started to dive back to the ground. "Hiccup!"

The boy realized that Toothless was losing control once more and discovered that the prosthetic fin had folded back up. He yanked it open and they swooped back in the air. "Yes! It works!"

"Go, Hiccup!" Sunset cheered.

Toothless sailed over the water and glanced behind him. With a soft snort, he flicked Hiccup off. The boy yelped as he landed in the chilly water. And without Hiccup to control the fin, Toothless soon followed, slamming into the pool and causing a wave to rise up-and crash over Sunset.

Sunset coughed and moved her wet red hair out of her eyes. "Hiccup! Toothless!"

"We're cool!" Hiccup called, a wide grin on his face.

Sunset giggled. "That was pretty awesome."

"Yeah, but I think I may need to go back to the drawing board." Hiccup climbed out of the water. The two teens watched as Toothless shook the water off of his scales.

"For a first attempt, it was a good try." Sunset smiled. "Come on, we better go dry off. I'd hate to think what Gobber will say when we show up to training soaking wet."

"Hey, maybe being wet will protect us from the-"Hiccup's eyes widened suddenly. "Sun! I have an idea!"

Sunset eyed him warily. "Is it another good one?"

"You bet it is! Toothless didn't like the smoked eel, right?"

Sunset nodded. "It was like he was afraid of-"She caught on to her friend's train of thought. "Wait, does this mean _all _dragons are afraid of eels?"

"There's one way to find out. Let's go! See you later, Toothless!" Hiccup called.

"Bye, Toothless!" Sunset waved and the two friends set off.

Toothless watched them go before curling up on the ground, a slight smile on his face.

**Reviews make me happy :) **


	5. Flight Trouble

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**Flight Trouble**

"You know, I think Gobber is trying to get us killed," Hiccup muttered as he and Sunset carefully manoeuvred through the smoke, attempting to catch sight of the Hideous Zippleback they were supposed to be fighting.

"Well, at least he paired us up together," Sunset said positively. "You could be stuck with Snotlout, and I could be stuck with Ruffnut."

"That's a very good point." Hiccup agreed.

"To render the Zippleback powerless, you need to get the head that lights the gas to make fire. Have fun figuring out which one is which." Gobber called down to them.

Sunset clutched her bucket of water. "I can't see anything. How are we-?"

Suddenly she and Hiccup were drenched by a wave of water. "Not again," Sunset groaned. "My boots are going to get ruined!"

"What was that about?" Hiccup snapped. Ruffnut emerged from the smoke, having the grace to look somewhat apologetic.

"Thought you were a dragon."

"And I was dumb enough to listen to her," Astrid said flatly.

"No, that was awesome!" Snotlout snickered as he, Tuffnut and Fishlegs joined them. "Do it again!"

"Ssh!" Astrid suddenly hissed, listening intently.

Sunset saw the tail as it swung towards them. She tackled Hiccup out of the way just as the others got knocked over, their buckets flying in all directions. "Okay, I am very much hurt!" Tuffnut hollered.

"Sunset, behind you!" Hiccup cried.

The girl whirled around to see a Zippleback head nearing her. She thrust the water at its head. The Zippleback sprayed her with gas in retaliation. "Whoops."

"Sunset!" Gobber hollered in worry. "Hiccup, get the other head!"

Hiccup attempted to do so, but the water completely missed its mark. Sunset shook her head. "Come on, I saved your life once already. Try putting more effort in saving mine."

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"GET OUT OF THERE, YOU TWO!" Gobber shouted as the other head began to spark up.

Hiccup and Sunset stepped towards the Zippleback, their arms outstretched. The dragon hissed in terror, scrambling back towards their cage. "It's alright," Sunset cooed. "Just get back to your cage and everything will be fine."

"Don't make us have to tell you again!" Hiccup ordered.

When the Zippleback was safely in its cage, the two teens removed the eels from behind their vests and tossed it into the cage. Hiccup closed the door firmly and the two friends high-fived before turning around to face the disbelieving observers.

"We're done, right?" Sunset asked.

"Cause we kinda have some things to do." Hiccup added.

Gobber nodded slowly and the two teens raced from the arena. Astrid frowned after them.

Something wasn't right.

...

Hiccup and Sunset spent the rest of the afternoon creating a new tailfin for Toothless. Hiccup added a few new features that Sunset suggested, and soon they were lugging a new tailfin (complete with harness and foot-pedals) to the cove.

"I call trying this one out," Sunset said as they greeted Toothless. She petted his muzzle and then took the dragon riding gear from her best friend. She went to put it on Toothless, but he snorted and ran away. "Toothless!"

Hiccup laughed as he watched Sunset chase Toothless around the cove. The girl managed to corner the Night Fury against a rock and jumped on his back, fastening the gear to his body. "Thanks for helping, Hiccup."

The boy smirked. "Hey, you were the one who called trying it out. I have nothing to do with this."

"You can be insufferable at times," Sunset shook her head and adjusted her position. "Alright, Toothless. Let's give this a shot."

She gave Toothless a nudge and the two flew into the air. Sunset grinned widely as the wind rushed through her long red hair. "This is awesome!" She cheered as they flew out of the cove.

Hiccup watched them fly with a wide smile-for a moment, he thought he had created the perfect tailfin.

But then Toothless twisted in the air, causing Sunset to fall to the ground below. And since Toothless could only fly if there was a rider controlling the tailfin, he too went down. Hiccup quickly ran out of the cove and through the forest, where he found Sunset dangling from a tree branch. Toothless was below, cooing softly in concern.

"Okay, I think we may need to put some glue on a saddle or something to keep us from falling off." Sunset said dazedly.

Hiccup stood below her and held out his arms. Sunset let go of the branch and landed right in them. "That's a good idea. Maybe I can hook a metal clasp to-"

"I'm more of a visual learner," Sunset interrupted with a sheepish smile. "Every time you speak 'blacksmith' talk, everything goes in one ear and out the other."

Toothless nudged her shoulder. Sunset patted his head. "Don't worry, Toothless. Hiccup will get it right eventually."

"Hopefully," Hiccup added. He glanced at the sky thoughtfully. "I could probably make the adjustments before the sunlight disappears. That way we can give it another shot today."

"Then we better get to work!" Sunset cheered.

Hiccup arched an eyebrow. "We?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Fine. _You _get to work while _I _watch from the sidelines."

"That's much more accurate, thank you." Hiccup grinned.

The duo returned Toothless to the cove before running back to the village. When they reached the forge Hiccup immediately got to work, making adjustments to the previous tailfin. Sunset took her usual place by the door and watched her best friend work.

"You don't have to stay, you know." Hiccup said after a moment of silence. "It's probably not too exciting watching me work."

"I think what you do is interesting," Sunset replied. "And I don't feel like going home anyway."

The sudden misery in her tone alerted Hiccup. "Is...everything okay with your dad?" He asked carefully.

A grim smile crossed her face. "He didn't even tell me he was leaving, Hiccup. The only reason I know he's gone on another dragon nest hunt is because I was with you when your father left. When I got home a while later he wasn't there. And he didn't even bother to let me know where he would be."

"I'm sure he figured you would-"Hiccup began.

Sunset smiled softly at him. "You make up as many excuses as you want for my father, but you and I both know that my father has all but disowned me. He could care less how late I stay out and he doesn't bother to know if I'm taking care of myself. When our house got burnt down by that Nightmare, he went to stay with a friend. He doesn't care, Hiccup. He just doesn't care."

"It's kind of odd that we both have father issues, isn't it?" Hiccup asked.

"At least you know deep down, your father loves you." Sunset swallowed hard. "The only reason my father keeps me around is because, as he says, 'I don't want to put the burden of caring for you on anyone else.'" She stared wearily at the stone floor. "He still blames me for my mother's disappearance."

"You were five when it happened!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"That doesn't matter to him." Sunset sighed. "Even if I killed the dragon in the final tournament, it wouldn't change our relationship. He hates me."

Hiccup hated seeing his friend so upset. Whatever problems he had with his father, he knew it was nothing compared to those of Sunset's. "You've done nothing wrong, Sun."

"...I know." Sunset offered a soft smile. "Thanks for letting me rant."

"Sometimes you just need to let it out. I'm sure I've ranted a couple of times."

Sunset snorted. "More than a couple, actually." She joked, attempting to brighten up. She could do nothing to change her father's severe dislike of her, so it wouldn't do any good to dwell on it.

"Hiccup? Is that you in there?"

Sunset whipped her head around and peered through the crack in the door. "Gobber!" She hissed.

Hiccup shoved his diagrams into one large pile. Sunset grabbed them and stuffed the papers behind the wooden cart full of axes. Hiccup agonized over where to put the prosthetic tailfin.

"Hiccup!" Gobber called again, nudging the door open.

Sunset yanked Hiccup's invention out of his hands and threw it out the window. "Because no one is going to see it _lying on the ground!_" Hiccup hissed.

"I panicked!" Sunset cried.

The conversation was immediately stopped when Gobber entered his forge. He eyed the two kids suspiciously. "Alright, out with it. What are you two up too?"

Sunset rocked back on the heels of her furry brown boots. "Uh...Hiccup was just teaching me...how to...do stuff?" She finished lamely.

"Uh-huh." Gobber crossed his arms. "And what 'stuff' is this?"

"I was just showing Sun how to sharpen knives." Hiccup lied.

Gobber arched an eyebrow. "Sunset Hockerson. The girl who names all the farm animals, doesn't harm even a spider and only eats meat on 'special occasions' wants to know how to sharpen a weapon?"

"I don't want to know how to sharpen a knife for _weapon _uses," Sunset said quickly. "I just want to know so that the next time I have a dull knife when cutting bread, I can...sharpen it...for better bread cutting."

As far as excuses went, this was by far the poorest one the duo had ever come up with.

"Okay, I'm going to pretend I believe that for now." Gobber said after a moment of embarrassed silence. "But if you two blow this place up again, I'll have you running laps in the arena until your feet fall off."

"We'll be good!" Sunset promised.

"Yeah, have some faith." Hiccup added.

Gobber shook his head and left the two alone. Sunset immediately raced over to the window and climbed out to retrieve Hiccup's dragon riding gear. "Learning to sharpen a knife for bread cutting," she muttered to herself as she collected the items. "How lame am I?"

"Do you want me to answer that?" Hiccup called from behind her.

Sunset scowled. "Oh, shut up, Dragon Boy."

...

Hiccup finished his adjustments a few hours before sunset. The two friends raced down the now well-tread path to the cove for one more flight of the day.

Toothless ran over to meet them, tail wagging. There was no resistance this time as Hiccup strapped on the latest tailfin. Sunset scratched Toothless' muzzle. "Are you ready for another fail attempt?"

"Why are you automatically labelling this as a fail?" Hiccup demanded as he fastened the saddle around Toothless.

Sunset smiled. "I'm just preparing myself for the likely crash. But if we succeed, then I will be pleasantly surprised."

"The confidence you have in me is astounding." Hiccup drawled. The two decided that they would fly on Toothless together this time, with Hiccup navigating the tailfin.

"One...two...and up!" Hiccup cried as he nudged Toothless. The Night Fury took off in the air, flying over the stone walls of the cove and over the forest.

Sunset wrapped her arms around Hiccup's waist. "It's beautiful up here."

"It is," Hiccup agreed.

The creeks of the forest looked like sapphire snakes. The emerald trees covered most of the rough forest ground. The sun warmed their faces as they flew through the air. It was a sight Hiccup had never seen before.

And he was happy that he got to share the experience with his best friend.

They soared over a cliff, diving towards a grassy field. Hiccup adjusted the tailfin, but it jammed and Toothless tumbled to the ground, throwing Sunset and Hiccup off in the process.

"Okay, that was less fun." Sunset moaned, rubbing her head.

"There's got to be a way to stop it from jamming," Hiccup said in frustration. He looked over to see if Toothless was alright and gasped. "Sun! Look!"

Sunset rolled over and watched in amusement as Toothless rolled in the tall grass in obvious bliss. "Gee, what is this stuff? Dragon nip or something?"

"Dragon nip..." Hiccup mused and picked up a handful of the grass. "Sunset, I think I know how we're going to handle that Gronkle tomorrow."

...

"You're late," Gobber said as Hiccup and Sunset raced into the arena the following morning. "Were you up all night learning how to sharpen knives?"

Sunset shot Gobber a dry look. "I'm dying of hilarity."

"Hey, the only one who is allowed to do sarcasm in this place is me. Grab your shields and join the others. It's Gronkle time!"

The two obeyed, grabbing their shields and cautiously moving into the arena. The Gronkle was flying about madly, slamming its tail at anyone who came too close.

"Yikes," Sunset winced as the Gronkle's tail slammed into Snotlout, sending him crashing into one of the miniature wooden walls. "Looks like the Gronkle's been busy while we were sleeping in."

Sure enough, the only other teen standing was Astrid. She attempted to confuse the dragon by banging on her shield but the Gronkle had already spotted the two newcomers and made a beeline for them.

"Here we go," Hiccup muttered. The two dropped their shields and held out their hands just before the Gronkle could bite their heads off. The dragon smelled the dragon nip clutched in their hands and dropped to the ground, panting heavily. Hiccup smiled slightly and rubbed its nose.

Astrid scowled and glanced up at the stands. Gothi, the village shaman, was watching Hiccup and Sunset with an impressed expression on her face.

"Good job, Hiccup and Sunset!" Gobber came down from his observation spot and clapped them both on the back. "And your father thought you'd be killed the second I let the first dragon out of its cage."

Hiccup managed a smile. "Yeah, well, we're just lucky."

"_Very _lucky," Sunset emphasized.

"Alright, you lot. That's all the training for today." Gobber shooed them out of the arena and smiled slightly when the other teens gathered around Hiccup and Sunset, bombarding them with questions.

Hiccup and Sunset found that they didn't to make excuses, as the teens were asking the questions too quickly for them to answer. They started to cross the bridge and Hiccup knew that he and Sunset would have to make an excuse to separate from the crowd in order to be alone.

"Hey, you know, I think I left my axe back in the arena. I'm gonna go grab it." Hiccup raced off. Sunset blinked in confusion and started to go after him. A hand clamped down on her shoulder and she turned to see Astrid glaring at her.

"And why are _you _going?" She asked suspiciously.

Sunset smiled nervously. "Wherever Hiccup goes, I go and wherever I go, Hiccup goes. It's a tough habit to break." She escaped Astrid's grip and took off after her best friend.

"They're amazing," Fishlegs said in awe.

Astrid snorted. "No they're not. Like Sunset said, they're just _lucky_."

She was certain that their luck would run out soon enough.


	6. The Suspicions of Astrid

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**The Suspicions of Astrid**

"You know," Sunset said as she perched on a rock, overlooking Hiccup and Toothless. "I think Astrid is starting to get a little suspicious."

"Why do you say that?" Hiccup pushed his hair out of his eyes so that he could see his friend clearly.

"Well, when I went to follow you, she grabbed my shoulder and was all like, _why are _you _going_? She's never cared much about us before, so I think she'd only ask me that because she thinks something's up."

"Then maybe we'll just have to be a little more careful." Hiccup scratched Toothless on the head, moving down towards his chin. When he scratched there, Hiccup collapsed to the ground, purring contentedly.

Sunset stared in amazement. "I never realized there was so much we didn't know about dragons."

"And that everything we do know is wrong," Hiccup murmured.

Sunset rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "You know Toothless kind of acts like the cats in the village. He likes being rubbed under his chin and there's a certain type of plant that he loves." She took off her Viking helmet and angled it so that the metal strips lining the base would catch the sunlight. Toothless caught sight of the patch of light and chased after it, pouncing every now and then.

Hiccup laughed. "I think we have two more tricks in our dragon training arsenal."

"That is what we're doing, isn't it?" Sunset said thoughtfully. "Training a dragon."

Her grip on her helmet slackened and the patch of light landed on Hiccup's chest. Toothless pounced and knocked Hiccup to the ground. "You did that on purpose!" Hiccup accused.

Sunset burst into laughter, putting her helmet back over her messy red hair. "I swear I didn't! But it was hilarious!"

"Yeah? Well, so is this!" Hiccup tackled Sunset off the rock and pinned her to the ground. "What are you going to do now?"

Toothless turned his head to see the two kids tussling in the grass. Concerned that they were fighting for real, he got to his claws and hurried over. He nudged Hiccup off of Sunset and stood in between the two, snorting softly.

"Aw, he was worried we were hurting each other." Sunset scratched his ear.

"It's okay, bud." Hiccup assured the Night Fury. "We were just playing."

Toothless nodded in apparent understanding. He then knocked Hiccup in the direction of the pool with the intent of pushing him in. "Hey, wait a second! Toothless! Tooth-"

Hiccup yelped as the Night Fury gave a final nudge, pitching the boy into the water. Sunset quickly climbed back on the rock as Toothless advanced towards her. "These are new leggings!" She protested, gesturing towards the pine green clothing.

Toothless grinned slyly and gently grabbed the girl by the hem of her grey shirt. Sunset let out a shriek as the Night Fury pulled her to the pool and tossed her in. She broke the surface, coughing and shoving her helmet back into position. "Okay, I think Toothless won this round."

Hiccup grinned, treading water beside her. "Yeah, I think so too."

Toothless snickered victoriously.

He liked this game.

...

"So, how are we going to deal with the Deadly Nadder today?" Sunset asked as they rushed for the arena, determined not to be late and give anyone a reason to be suspicious.

"I think the rubbing trick will work." Hiccup decided. "Gobber doesn't want us using shields today, so it might be more obvious if we attempt to distract a Nadder with an axe making a patch of light."

"Right," Sunset muttered as they entered the arena. She gingerly picked up the axe Stoick had given her from the weapons rack. "Axes."

"Are your hands burning off yet?" Gobber teased from above. Sunset glared up at him.

"I have no idea how to use this thing," she warned. "So if I accidently take off someone's head, it's not my fault."

Snotlout gasped in mock-surprise. "I think Miss Animals-Are-Friends-Not-Food actually made a threat!"

"Oh, just release the Nadder already." Sunset muttered grumpily.

The cage swung open and the Nadder raced out, snorting angrily. Hiccup and Sunset watched in disbelief as the dragon easily shot spikes from its tail, trapping Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut in a corner.

"No fair!" Snotlout cried. "You didn't tell us about this!"

"Now, see, if ya read the book, you _would _have known." Gobber drawled.

The Nadder's tail suddenly swung towards Hiccup and Sunset. Sunset managed to duck, but Hiccup got knocked to the other side of the arena. The Nadder spotted Sunset and charged at her. Sunset recalled Toothless and how the dagger made him uncomfortable, so she chucked her axe to the side.

"Sunset!" Gobber roared, furious. "_Stop picking the deadly beasts over your own life!"_

But the Nadder stopped just in front of Sunset, no longer feeling threatened. Sunset smiled.

"AARRGGHH!"

Sunset's pale skin turned even whiter as Astrid charged at the Nadder, axe waving madly. She quickly rubbed the special spot, causing the Nadder to drop to the ground. Astrid halted a few feet away from the pair, her expression one of disbelief.

"Nice going, Sun!" Hiccup beamed in relief and ran over to his friend, holding his injured side.

"That was awesome!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," Gobber snapped, relief evident in his voice. "Alright, don't be handing out back pats just yet. There's a double attack today."

"Double?" Fishlegs asked in disbelief as he and the others gingerly squeezed out of their entrapment. "Are you trying to kill us?"

Gobber ignored him and opened a small flap in the middle of the steel door. A tiny green dragon scurried out, sniffing madly. "This is a Terrible Terror."

"Aw!" Sunset cooed. "He's so cute!"

Tuffnut snorted. "This is what you want us to fight? Please, I can-"

The Terror latched itself onto Tuffnut's face, squealing madly and biting his nose. "OUCH! Take it off! I am hurt! I'm very much hurt!"

Sunset grabbed a shield from the rack and handed it to Hiccup. Together, they used the metal parts of the shield to guide a patch of light towards the cage. The Terrible Terror caught sight of the reflection and chased after it. Sunset hurried over and lifted up the flap of the cage as Hiccup urged the Terror inside.

"See? Quick and easy," Sunset said.

"Is that all for today?" Hiccup asked.

Gobber nodded with a smile. "Unless you two want to have a rematch with the Deadly Nadder, class is over."

"Great. See you later!" Hiccup and Sunset raced out of the arena.

Astrid glowered after them. No one was that lucky. Something was _definitely _up.

And she was going to find out what.

...

"Okay, I think _this _is the one!" Hiccup declared as he strapped the newest saddle and tailfin onto Toothless.

Sunset shook her head. "That's what you said about the last one," she reminded him.

Hiccup climbed onto Toothless and Sunset tied the rope around a small tree stump. The other end of the rope was tied around Toothless' midsection. Hiccup had decided that they could give the new harness a trial run before actually going in the air.

Toothless opened his wings and the wind carried him a few feet gently above the ground. Hiccup practiced using the different positions of the tailfin. Sunset giggled. "He looks like a really big kite."

"What, aren't you going to eat your words?" Hiccup asked smugly. "The harness works-"

The rope suddenly snapped the two crashed into the tree behind them. Sunset snorted and hurried over to them. "You were saying?"

"Okay, technically, the rope broke, not my harness." Hiccup muttered, embarrassed. He tried to get up, but found that he couldn't stand straight up. "What the-?"

"Um," Sunset smiled. "You're kinda stuck to Toothless."

"I didn't notice," Hiccup drawled, pulling on the metal hook. It wouldn't budge. "Well. This sucks."

"What are we going to do?" Sunset asked.

Hiccup leaned against Toothless with a weary sigh. "I don't suppose you know any blacksmith tools?"

"Other than an axe and a hammer, not so much." Sunset answered honestly.

"And none of those are fit for this situation." Hiccup shook his head. "So we're just going to have to wait here until night before sneaking into the village."

"With Toothless."

"With Toothless." Hiccup confirmed.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Sunset rolled her eyes.

...

Night fell far too quickly. Sunset walked a distance ahead of Hiccup and Toothless, making sure that the path was clear. The glow of a lantern floated in their direction, so she hastily gave a soft whistle to warn them to stay put.

"Sunset," the Viking greeted as he passed. Sunset smiled innocently in return. When the Viking was far enough away she whistled again.

"Almost there," Hiccup whispered to Toothless. They hurried for the forge and Sunset closed the door firmly behind them.

"Okay, okay, this should do it." Hiccup grabbed a slab of metal and attempted to pry the hook loose. Toothless, however, would not hold still.

"Toothless, settle down!" Sunset hissed as the Night Fury knocked over a bucket of bolts with his tail.

"Hiccup? Is that you?"

"Astrid!" Hiccup hissed. "Sunset, distract her!"

"Me? Why me?"

"I would do it, but I'm _currently attached to a Night Fury_."

"Okay! Don't have to get snippy about it." Sunset muttered. She threw open the window and jumped out of it, slamming the shutters closed behind her. Astrid stumbled back at the girl's sudden appearance. "Hey! Astrid! What's up?"

Astrid frowned. "I normally could care less about what you and Hiccup do, but you've been acting extremely weird lately. Well, weirder than your normal weird, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked, attempting to sound confused.

"Aside from all the sudden skill in handling dragons, there's also the fact you keep disappearing. Also, you're in Gobber's forge in the middle of the night _without _Hiccup."

Before Sunset could respond, there was a startled shout from inside with a loud crash following. Astrid shoved Sunset aside and threw open the shutters, but there was nothing there. When she turned around, Sunset had disappeared. Astrid punched the wall frustration.

"Whatever it is you two are hiding," she growled, "I _will _find out."


	7. A Close Call

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**A Close Call**

Stoick rubbed his forehead in exhaustion as his ship drifted to the docks. He stepped down to meet Gobber, who studied the battered and lone boat with a slight smile. "Well, at least we got _one _of them back."

"And we didn't even find the nest, so it wasn't even worth it," Stoick grumbled, cracking his back and starting down the wooden dock. "Did you have more luck than me?"

Gobber smirked. "I can safely say that all your parenting troubles are over."

Stoick froze and stared at Gobber in masked horror. "He's...gone?"

Gobber laughed. "Most afternoons with Sunset, but I can't blame them. They can hardly step into the village without being swarmed by fans."

"_Hiccup? Sunset?" _Stoick asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Who would have thought? They seem to have this way with the beasts. I gave them the news that they would be the two battling the Gronkle in the second-to-last round! They were speechless."

Stoick smiled with pride. "I never would've thought. Hiccup is probably overjoyed right now."

...

"This sucks," Hiccup said flatly as he and Sunset made their way to what seemed like their second home-the cove.

"Did you see Astrid's face?" Sunset asked worriedly. "She looked like she wanted to tear my head off!"

"I'm sure she'll get over it," Hiccup said, although even he didn't sound too confident about it. "So...which one of us gets the 'honour' of killing the Monstrous Nightmare?"

"You," Sunset said instantly. "I made it this far with only picking up an axe once, and I'm never doing it again. Besides, you're the one who wanted all this to make your father proud. You can do it."

The boy sighed. "You know what? Let's just forget about it for now. We got a new harness and everything, so let's test it out."

"Fourth time's the charm," Sunset agreed.

"Huh. I thought this was our fifth try." Hiccup mused. The two friends entered the cove and Toothless hurried over to meet them, purring softly. Sunset scratched his muzzle as Hiccup did the usual 'hooking up harness' routine. "Alright, Sun, climb on."

Sunset obeyed, climbing onto the back of the saddle as Hiccup jumped on in front of her. He clipped his cheat sheet to the harness and took a deep breath. "Okay. Here we go!"

Toothless shot into the air as Hiccup nudged him. Sunset swallowed nervously as they soared out of the cove and through the blue sky, rapidly rising in the air. "Uh...shouldn't we be a little closer to the ground? In case something happens?"

"We'll take this nice and slow," Hiccup assured his friend.

"That's fine and dandy, but just because we take this nice and slow doesn't mean we won't crash." Sunset responded dryly.

"Stop being so negative. That's normally my job." Hiccup shot a quick smile over his shoulder before turning back to study the cheat sheet. "Let's try position four."

He adjusted the pedal and Sunset watched as the prosthetic tailfin flared. Toothless rolled into a graceful arc and Hiccup cheered. "You did it, Hiccup!" Sunset exclaimed. "I think this is the one!"

"Only one way to find out for sure," Hiccup grinned and turned Toothless around, directing the dragon towards a large rock arch. They passed through perfectly and Hiccup whooped.

His triumph was short-lived, however, as Toothless knocked against a stone stack. Sunset gritted her teeth to keep them from knocking together. "Hiccup!" She cried as Toothless rammed into another sea stack.

"Sorry, sorry!" Hiccup apologized. He made the proper adjustments and soon they were soaring high into the air, far past the fluffy white clouds.

Sunset tightened her grip on Hiccup's waist and stared in awe at their island below. "Hiccup, this is...this is indescribable!"

"Definitely too amazing for words," Hiccup agreed with a smile. "Can you just feel the wind in-?"

There was suddenly a mighty gust of wind, causing Hiccup's cheat sheet to come loose from the harness. The boy cried in panic and attempted to grab it only to have the harness itself come loose from Toothless' saddle. He flew off Toothless and Sunset nearly fell off herself, but she managed to thrust her body forward and latch onto Toothless' body for dear life.

"Hiccup!" Sunset cried as the boy plummeted through the air. She inched forward as quickly as she could (although it was difficult when the dragon was also spiralling through the air). The girl managed to wrap her arms tightly around the Night Fury's neck and slip her foot into the pedal. "Uh...position three?" She tried.

The adjustment to the tailfin managed to stop Toothless from free-falling, but it also caused the dragon to fly _away _from Hiccup. "Not it! Not it!" Sunset cried frantically as she tried position four. Toothless immediately spun around, diving for the boy.

When they were close enough, Sunset reached out and grabbed Hiccup's hand. She hauled him onto Toothless and panted with relief. "Man that was close!"

"No kidding," Hiccup wheezed, slapping his chest to make sure his heart was still beating. "But hey, we did it!"

Toothless shared their victory and shot a fireball in excitement. The flames expanded in the air-and Toothless flew directly into it.

"Ouch," Sunset managed to say as they came out on the other side. She gingerly touched her face, relieved to find that the worst damage was singed eyebrows and hair. She turned around to glare at Hiccup, who was doing a poor job at hiding his laughter. "I ought to push you off right now."

"But that's violent." Hiccup smirked. "Sunset Hockerson doesn't approve of violence."

"Shut up," Sunset muttered. She spotted a beach below them and guided Toothless towards it. "We're taking a break."

"Fine with me," Hiccup smiled. "We can catch some fish and eat lunch here. You do eat fish, right?"

Sunset glared at him. "You know I do."

Hiccup smirked. "Just making sure you haven't changed your diet-again."

Toothless landed on the beach and the kids dismounted him. "Good job, Toothless." Hiccup praised, rubbing his head. "Now how does lunch sound?"

"Brilliant," Sunset yawned as she curled up against Toothless. "You go fishing and we'll supervise."

Hiccup crossed his arms. "This is payback for laughing at you, huh?"

"You bet."

"Note to self," Hiccup muttered as he headed towards the water. "Never tick off a woman-especially if said woman is your best friend."

...

Eventually Hiccup managed to collect a decent-sized pile of fish. Sunset had given him a break and started a small fire. The two teens leaned against Toothless as their fish cooked, the smoke curling into the air.

"So...about the Monstrous Nightmare..."Hiccup began.

"You're still doing it," Sunset replied. "I refuse to win a tournament where the prize is slaughtering a poor dragon. It goes against everything I believe in."

"Well, I don't want to do it either!" Hiccup cried in exasperation.

"We both know that we won't kill dragons." Sunset pointed out. "And that means that one of us is going to have to find a way to show the other Vikings that dragons aren't what they believe them to be."

"Why do I have to be the one that shows them?" Hiccup asked.

"The Vikings will expect me to refuse to kill the Nightmare. They might be a little more impacted, however, if _you _refuse and show them that dragons can be our friends."

"I could probably counter your argument with one of my own but I have a feeling this is just one of those things where I'll end up agreeing to whatever you say." Hiccup said finally.

Sunset smiled and tore off a piece from her fish. "At least you know when to pick your battles."

A soft screeching caught their attention. The teens looked up to see a trio of Terrible Terrors landing in front of them, eyeing the fish hungrily. One managed to snag a piece of fish and dragged it away, only to be attacked by another. Sunset giggled and removed a fish from her own pile, tossing it to the squabbling Terrors. The fight ended as each Terror took a piece of fish.

Toothless narrowed his eyes as a piece of his fish started hobbling away. The third Terror emerged from his fish pile with the stolen seafood clamped in its mouth. Toothless yanked the fish back and swallowed it whole. The Terror hissed angrily and prepared to shoot a gas blast, but Toothless cut it off with a small flame. The flame flew straight into the Terror's mouth and the little dragon puffed up as the fire ignited with the gas.

"Aw," Sunset laughed as the Terror deflated. "Come on, Toothless. Be nice." She tossed another piece of her fish at the hungry dragon. It gobbled it up and purred happily. Sunset smiled softly as the Terror curled underneath her arm. "Can I keep him?"

Hiccup snorted. "Oh sure, keeping a Terrible Terror as a pet is a _great _idea."

"Your sarcasm is uncalled for," Sunset grumbled.

Her friend smiled slightly and glanced at the darkening sky. "We better head back. The last thing we want is for Astrid to catch us sneaking back to the village after midnight."

"Very true," Sunset got up and stretched. "Hiccup?"

"Yeah?"

"Will everything turn out alright?"

Hiccup was silent for just a moment. "I sure hope so, Sun. I sure hope so."


	8. An Honour or a Curse?

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**An Honour or a Curse?**

Hiccup walked Sunset home before wandering over to Gobber's forge. He didn't feel like going home just yet and wanted to see if there were any adjustments he needed to make to Hiccup's prosthetic tailfin.

The boy lit a lantern and sat down at the desk. He scanned the various diagrams and decided that there was nothing wrong (not yet, anyway) with the most recent tailfin. "At least that's something I managed to get right," he muttered, allowing his head to rest on the wooden surface.

_And now all that's left is to deal with the Monstrous Nightmare._

Hiccup swallowed thickly. He knew that he wouldn't kill the Monstrous Nightmare when the time came. He knew that being alone in the ring with the dragon would give him a chance to show the Vikings that dragons could be their friends. But he also knew that the reaction he dreamed of wasn't the reaction he would get in reality.

It was all a big mess.

The door suddenly creaked open and Hiccup lifted his head, expecting to see Sunset standing in the doorframe with a concerned expression on her face.

What he saw, however, was someone completely different.

"Hey! Dad!" Hiccup exclaimed, jumping up and hastily jumbling his papers together. "Good to see you back. Uh, if you're looking for Gobber, he's not here."

"I'm here for you," Stoick informed his son. "I've heard you've been keeping secrets."

Hiccup froze. "What kind of secrets?"

"Did you really think you could hide it from me?" Stoick asked softly.

"Er...hide what from you?" Hiccup asked, hoping desperately that the conversation wasn't taking the direction he thought it was.

"The dragon."

Hiccup's knees buckled and he collapsed on the bench. "Oh, Dad, I'm so sorry! I swear I was going to tell you, I just-"

Stoick suddenly burst into laughter. Hiccup eyed him in surprise. "Aren't you mad?"

"Of course not! In fact, I was hoping this would happen!" Stoick exclaimed.

"Really?" Hiccup asked hopefully.

"If you think it's great now, just wait until you rip the guts out of a Nadder for the first time! Or slice off the head of a Gronkle!"

_And now everything makes sense. _Hiccup thought miserably, his excitement fading as he realized what his father was talking about.

Stoick clapped him on the shoulder, oblivious to his son's sudden change in attitude. "You've been holding back, Hiccup! The worst Viking Berk has seen in years becomes top of his class. And who'd of thought Sunset Hockerson would be right behind you?!"

"It's a surprise alright," Hiccup muttered, feeling sick.

Stoick dropped into a stool in front of Hiccup. "And now we finally have something to talk about."

A long silence followed. Hiccup coughed awkwardly and scratched his neck. Stoick tapped his meaty fingers together for a moment before reaching behind his back and removing a small helmet. "I have a present for you."

"Really?" Hiccup asked in surprise. He took the horned helmet from his father's hands.

"It was made from half of your mother's breastplate." Stoick rapped his knuckles against his own helmet, indicating where the other half had gone. "It keeps her with us."

"Wow," Hiccup said, genuinely touched. "Thanks, Dad."

"You've earned it. You did keep up your end of the deal, after all." Stoick smiled proudly.

Dozens of emotions ran rampant in Hiccup's mind at that moment. In a desperate need of escape, he was about to offer a poor excuse of being tired when the stall door creaked open once more. "Hiccup?" Sunset called softly, peering inside. "Are you in here? I saw the light-"

"And if it isn't the second-best dragon killer herself!" Stoick boomed, getting up and clapping the girl on the back with pride.

Startled, Sunset grabbed her helmet to keep it from falling off. "Hello, Chief. Sorry if I interrupted anything."

"Hiccup and I were just having a talk. And it's good that you showed up, because I have something for you as well." Stoick grabbed a wooden shield resting beside his vacated stool. He held it out and Sunset took it, studying the intricate designs carved on the front. "Now you both have something to protect you in the ring."

"Thanks," Sunset breathed, touched. "It's beautiful."

"You know," Hiccup interjected, "we really should get to bed."

"Uh, yeah." Sunset nodded. "We have quite the day tomorrow."

"Right! Yes. I'll bring you home, Sunset. It was a good talk, son." Stoick said as he ushered Sunset out of the forge.

"Yes, it was! I'll, uh, see you at home. Thanks for the helmet!" Hiccup gave a small wave as the two left. He collapsed back on the bench with a moan. "Well. This just got a little more difficult."

...

"I can't believe this is happening," Sunset said as she and Hiccup stood outside the arena the following dawn.

"I'm with you. I never thought we'd come this far." Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck and managed a smile as yet another Viking passed, congratulating them.

"Hiccup!" Sunset hissed, her green gaze locked on a rapidly approaching figure. "Astrid's come to kill us!"

"I think you're being a little-"Hiccup paused when he caught the murderous glare in the blonde's eyes. "Yeah, okay, she's probably come to kill us."

"_This _shouldn't have happened!" Astrid snarled, glaring at the two. "_I _should be in the final two, battling for the honour to kill a dragon. _Not _the girl who doesn't believe in violence and _not _the boy who messes up everything he touches!"

"Hey, you can take my place if you want." Sunset offered. She shrunk back at the heated look Astrid sent her.

"And you're not even taking this seriously! Don't understand what an honour this is?" Astrid demanded.

"Hey, it's like you said." Sunset shrugged. "I'm the girl who doesn't believe in violence."

"Then why are you here?"

"I just happen to have a natural way with dragons, I guess."

Astrid threw her arms up in frustration and stormed off, cursing angrily under her breath. Sunset glanced at her best friend. "What do you see in her again?"

"She's beautiful and spirited." Hiccup defended. "She just doesn't know dragons like we do."

"And she never will if she keeps trying to chop their heads off," Sunset said dryly.

"The talking stops and the fighting begins!" Gobber interrupted the duo's conversation and motioned for them to enter the arena. "Try not to get killed."

"We make no promises," Hiccup and Sunset said in unison. Gobber smacked their heads fondly as the two teens went past him and into the arena.

"Here we go," Sunset muttered as Gobber released the Gronkle. She cast a glance at the sparse crowd in the stands. Her father was not there, and that was as much as she had expected.

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Hiccup demanded, bringing the girl's attention back to him. "You're throwing the match!"

"Well, I can still be nervous about it, can't I?"

The Gronkle's head snapped in their direction. The two teens sighed. "Blind spots, not deaf spots." They chorused before diving in opposite directions to avoid the fire blast. Unfortunately for the animal-lover, the dragon decided to go after her. Sunset groaned as the Gronkle sped towards her. "Why me?"

The Gronkle tried to take her out with its tail but Sunset avoided the attack. The crowd cheered wildly.

_I don't see how this is entertaining_, Sunset scowled and got to her feet.

A loud clang caught the Gronkle's attention, effectively distracting it from Sunset. The girl quickly hid behind a small wooden wall, breathing a sigh of relief. Hiccup picked up his axe and gave a half-hearted shrug. "Whoops."

The Gronkle charged at the boy. When it came close enough Hiccup reached out and rubbed the sweet spot, causing the dragon to drop to the ground in bliss. Gobber put the dragon back in its cage before ushering Hiccup and Sunset into the middle of the arena. Gothi stepped forward and the crowd waited in anticipation. Gobber held his prosthetic hand over Sunset. Gothi shook her head.

_Oh, thank you. _Sunset thought with a smile.

Gobber moved his hand over to Hiccup. Gothi nodded.

"That's my son!" Stoick cheered.

The crowd screamed loudly, singing Hiccup's praises. The other Viking teens raced into the arena and hoisted Hiccup onto their shoulders. Sunset quickly followed after them, trying to ignore the burning sensation of Astrid's glare.

"That was amazing!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "You took that dragon down in no time!"

"Yeah, well, it was nothing." Hiccup shrugged.

"It was more than nothing," Tuffnut said. "It was _wicked_!"

"I can now call you my cousin without feeling ashamed by our relation." Snotlout said with a relieved sigh.

"Gee, thanks." Hiccup said sarcastically. "Listen guys, I was hoping to kind of go off alone. Prepare myself for the Monstrous Nightmare...and all that."

"Totally," Ruffnut agreed as they set Hiccup down. "You gotta get in the killing mood and stuff. I get that."

"Right. Well, I guess I'll see you later." Hiccup waved and grabbed Sunset by the arm, dragging her with him.

"I thought he wanted to be alone?" Fishlegs frowned.

"He is alone. Alone with Sunset. When are those two ever apart?" Snotlout asked as they all crossed the bridge leading to the village.

Astrid exited the arena, axe in hand. Her eyes narrowed into slits.

Today was the day she found out what the village misfits were up to.


	9. Busted

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**Busted**

"Hiccup, this is not going to solve your problem." Sunset said firmly. The girl was sitting in the grass, legs crossed as she watched Hiccup adjust his harness. The two had immediately run to the cove for Toothless, where they had flown him to a section of the forest where they could collect their thoughts.

Hiccup, however, was having difficulty staying calm.

"Of course it will solve my problems," Hiccup said firmly. "Leaving Berk means Toothless stays safe and I don't humiliate myself."

"What about me?" Sunset demanded.

"Oh, you can come too, if you want."

"Gee, thanks." Sunset rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "I'm going to go see Toothless. Try to gain some common sense while I'm gone."

"I could use a little more sympathy and less sarcasm!" Hiccup hollered as she entered the cave Toothless was resting in. Hiccup grumbled to himself and bent down, sorting the items in the basket he had brought with him. Sunset may have thought he was running away from his problems, but really he was...well...running away from his problems.

_I hate it when she's right. _Hiccup thought.

A shadow fell over him and he froze. Slowly, he glanced up to see Astrid perched on the rock in front of him, nonchalantly sharpening her axe. "Ugh! Astrid! W-what are you doing here?" _Please don't be here to kill me._

The blonde jumped to the ground. "I've come to see what you're up to."

"Me? Up to something?"

Astrid glared at him. "Someone doesn't just get as good as you do. Especially you or Sunset. Now start talking."

Hiccup swallowed nervously. "I don't-"

"Have you been taking private training lessons?" Astrid demanded. She glanced at Hiccup's harness and yanked on it. "It better not involve this thing."

"I know everything seems a little weird, but it's hard to-"Hiccup was cut off by a soft growling coming from the cave. Astrid immediately dropped Hiccup to the ground and stepped forward slowly, eyes narrowed.

"Okay!" Hiccup cried, scrambling to his feet and getting in front of Astrid. "I'm done with the lies. I've been learning how to make outfits. Phew! I feel so much better now. I think we should go back to the village and-"

Annoyed, Astrid shoved Hiccup to the ground. "What was that for?" Hiccup groaned.

"**That's for the lies**." Astrid bounced the hilt of her axe off of Hiccup's head. "**And that's for everything else.**"

Hiccup's yelp of pain was followed by a snarl. Astrid froze when a pair of green eyes glowered at her from the darkness of the cave. A second later Toothless jumped out, growling madly. "RUN!" Astrid ordered, shoving Hiccup to his feet. She swung her axe in the air and prepared for a battle with the rare breed of dragon.

"HOLD IT!" Sunset hollered, throwing herself in front of Toothless and Astrid. Hiccup was quick to follow, pushing the axe down with one hand and holding Astrid back with the other.

"It's okay!" Hiccup assured the baffled girl. "

"_Okay?" _Astrid shrieked. "That's a Night Fury!"

"And you frightened him," Sunset admonished. "He's a little protective." She rubbed Toothless' muzzle soothingly. The dragon continued to glower at the blonde. "Hey, calm down. **She's a friend**."

"_I _frightened _him_?" Astrid said in disbelief. The oddness of the situation struck her and her eyes narrowed into slits. "And _who _is him?"

"This is Toothless," Hiccup introduced. "Toothless, this is Astrid."

Toothless snarled, not quite liking the girl at the moment for how she treated his friend. Astrid eyed Hiccup, Sunset and Toothless with what only could be described as disgust before racing off in the direction of the village.

"I can't leave you alone for a second, can I?" Sunset asked with a sigh.

"Apparently not." Hiccup drawled. "We are so dead."

Satisfied that the mean blonde girl had left, Toothless turned around and headed back into the cave for some more rest. Hiccup threw his arms in the air. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"We got some major damage control to do." Sunset added. "And I'm not sure how to do it."

"I do." Hiccup brought Toothless back outside and climbed on. "Astrid needs to know that dragons aren't our enemies. And we're going to show her."

Sunset arched an eyebrow. "I don't think she'll agree to that."

"We're not going to give her a choice." Hiccup said firmly.

Unsure of how this would turn out, Sunset hesitantly got on behind Hiccup. Toothless took off into the air, soaring above the forest. Hiccup immediately caught sight of the blonde running across the forest floor. "Down there, bud. And pick Astrid up gently."

Toothless snorted. Hiccup guided the dragon closer to the girl and Toothless snatched her up with his claws. Astrid let out a shriek of terror as she was lifted high into the sky. "Oh, Thor almighty!"

"This is going well," Sunset commented as Hiccup flew over to the nearest mighty pine. Toothless dropped Astrid onto one of the high branches with happiness. Astrid clung for dear life, staring at the forest floor far below before glaring at the two teens riding the Night Fury. "You two get me down right now!"

"You need to give us a chance to explain," Hiccup pleaded.

"I refuse to listen to anything you two have to say!" Astrid snapped.

"Fine. Then just let us show you." Hiccup extended his hand.

Astrid debated for a moment before slowly climbing up to where Toothless was perched. She knocked Hiccup's hand aside and hesitated slightly when Toothless growled at her. She caught Sunset's encouraging gaze and swallowed.

The redhead moved back so that Astrid was sitting behind Hiccup. Hiccup smiled with assurance and patted Toothless on the head. "Okay, Toothless. Bring us down gently."

Toothless smirked.

The Night Fury gently flew off the tree branch, floating on the updraft for a brief moment. Hiccup turned to a weary Astrid. "See? It's not so-"

Toothless immediately launched into the sky, soaring at a steep angle. Astrid dug her nails into Toothless' body to keep from falling off. Sunset, who was copying Astrid's tactic, winced as the blonde started screaming in terror. "Toothless! Knock it off! Hiccup! Do something!"

"Stop backseat driving!" Hiccup snapped, frantically trying to get Toothless to stop his crazy flying.

"If you were doing a good job in the first place, I wouldn't be nagging you!"

"Oh, you want to steer then?" Hiccup demanded.

Their squabbling was caught off when Toothless went into a dive. Astrid's screaming went up a notch and she removed her grip on Toothless to hang onto Hiccup. "I'm really sorry," Sunset apologized to the obviously-shaken blonde.

"He's normally not like this." Hiccup added.

Toothless flew over the water, deliberately spraying the riders. Hiccup scowled. "Bad dragon! Very bad dragon!"

"Toothless, we kind of need her to like us." Sunset added.

The dragon ignored the commands of his friends. Instead, he went into a series of tumbles and spins. "Oh, perfect." Sunset muttered. "Just what we need."

"**Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile.**" Hiccup said flatly, his hope for salvaging the situation diminishing.

Astrid put her hands over her eyes. Having enough, she cried, "I'm sorry, okay? Please, just get me down."

Toothless' ears perked up at the apology. Deciding the girl had gotten the point he stopped the acrobatic tricks and soared gently over the water. Slowly, Astrid removed her hands and stared in awe at the beautiful sunset. The Night Fury flew higher into the clouds. The blonde eyed the fluffy white puffs for a moment before reaching out and trailing a hand through them. A delighted smile crossed her face.

They flew through the skies until dark descended and dozens of glittering stars appeared in the night sky. The shimmering ribbons of the Northern Lights sparkled down on them. Astrid stared at the beautiful scenery, an overwhelming feeling rising up in her chest. It was nothing she had ever seen before.

They soon flew over Berk, the flickering torches bright gold dots in the inky darkness. The new perspective was breathtaking. Astrid wrapped her arms around Hiccup's waist and tucked her chin in his shoulder, staring below with a soft, happy smile. Hiccup grinned nervously and Sunset shook her head with a small smirk. She sat at the very back of Toothless, attempting to give her best friend a little more private space with his crush.

"Alright," Astrid said finally as Toothless flew back to the forest. "This was...amazing. Your dragon...is amazing." She reached down carefully and patted Toothless' side. A sudden thought struck her and she frowned. "Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow morning. What are you going to do?"

"He was going to leave," Sunset drawled.

"You can't do that!" Astrid exclaimed.

"I'm not!" Hiccup said hastily. "Not anymore. I'm-"

A soft shrieking suddenly caught their attention. Toothless' ears perked up and he dove into the cloud cover, eyes darting about. "Toothless, what's wrong?" Sunset asked in concern.

Toothless barked sharply. Sunset looked around and spotted a large shadow nearing them. Squinting, she realized it was a Monstrous Nightmare. "Guys! We need to get down!" She hissed, getting as close to Toothless' body as possible. Her friends followed her lead, watching nervously as dozens of other dragons began to cluster around them.

"Toothless," Hiccup whispered. "Toothless, you need to get us out of here."

But Toothless seemed to be bent on going the same way as the other dragons. Hiccup peered around and noticed that all the dragons had farm animals clutched in their claws. Sunset looked on in dismay. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

The dragons weaved among the sea stacks before eventually coming across a massive volcanic mountain. Hiccup's eyes widened as they flew inside the formation, hovering above rivers of lava before entering a giant boiling chamber with hundreds of rock shelves. Toothless settled on one of them, hiding behind a section of rock. The kids watched in amazement (or disgust, in Sunset's case) as hundreds of dragons flew inside with their kill.

"My dad would kill to find this place," Hiccup whispered.

The dragons hovered above a large, red-glowing put that was shrouded in mist. They all dropped their kill down the pit before flying onto one of the rock shelves. "They're not even eating any of it," Astrid observed.

"Those poor animals." Sunset mourned.

Hiccup shook his head. "And to think all our food is being dropped down a massive hole."

A Gronkle was the last dragon to fly into the nest. It regurgitated a small fish, which dropped into the pit where the other food had gone. The Gronkle turned to fly towards the other dragons, but a terrible roar made it change its mind and attempt to flee for the exit.

The Gronkle didn't make it.

A humongous, pale blue dragon shot out from the pit, easily snapping the dragon up in its massive jaws. Sunset clamped her hands tightly over her mouth, face going stark white. Astrid and Hiccup recoiled. "What's that?" Astrid rasped.

The beast suddenly started sniffing the air. It turned its head towards the trio and let out another war. Several dragons took off in fear and Hiccup nudged Toothless frantically. "We need to get out of here, bud!"

Toothless obeyed, flying off just as the monstrous beast snapped at the spot they had just vacated. The behemoth lunged again, but Toothless avoided the snapping jaws and rocketed out of the nest with thousands of other dragons following after them.

No one spoke a word until Toothless landed on the moonlit beach near the cove. Sunset toppled off and Toothless cooed softly, nudging her in concern. Hiccup helped Astrid off the dragon and the blonde immediately started pacing. "That nest! It's like a bee hive, where that dragon is their queen and the other smaller dragons are controlled by her!" Astrid exclaimed. "We need to tell your dad!"

"We can't!" Hiccup exclaimed, grabbing her arm. "At least, not yet. If they find out, they'll kill Toothless."

"Hiccup, this is what Vikings have been looking for since they first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret? **To protect your pet dragon?**"

Hiccup nodded firmly. "**Yes.**"

Startled, Astrid studied Hiccup for a long moment. Loyalty and determination shone in his steely gaze. She glanced at Sunset, who was idly petting Toothless' muzzle while staring at the starry sky. She understood that there was more to dragons than anyone had ever thought before, but she suddenly realized that the connection that Hiccup and Sunset felt to Toothless was something that she didn't understand. The dragon meant a lot to them, and for the moment, she was willing to keep quiet. It was the least she could do. They had, after all, trusted her enough to show her the most amazing thing in the world.

"Alright," she said softly. "Then what are we going to do?"

Hiccup looked at her in surprise. She offered a small smile and he glowed, happy that she was willing to help him and Sunset. "Uh, just give me some time to think."

Astrid nodded. She then swiftly punched him in the arm. Hiccup yelped and rubbed his shoulder. "**That was for kidnapping me,**" she said. The blonde then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "**That's for, everything else.**"

Astrid smiled softly and waved at Sunset before hurrying off. Hiccup watched her go with a stunned expression. He glanced over his shoulder to see Toothless and Sunset eyeing him with a smirk. "What?"

"Young love," Sunset sighed, shaking her head.

Hiccup blushed. "Shut up."

He sat down beside Sunset and the two curled up against Toothless. "That was the scariest thing I had ever seen," Sunset finally said, referring to the monstrous queen of the dragons.

"You're telling me," Hiccup muttered. "As if we didn't have enough problems."

"Well..."Sunset said slowly. "Astrid was the one who was the most into slaughtering dragons and the most serious about the training." Hiccup opened his mouth to defend the blonde but Sunset spoke quickly before he could say anything. "_But_ she also quickly accepted that dragons can be our friends. If she can, then why can't the others?"

Hiccup mulled this over. "Maybe you're right. If I show the Vikings tomorrow that we don't need to kill dragons, then I can also tell my dad about the nest and he won't kill Toothless when I introduce them."

"Let's make sure we allow for a margin of error." Sunset cautioned. "A rather wide margin of error."

"You're certainly optimistic." Hiccup drawled.

"Hiccup, I want everything to work out just as much as you do. But our tribe has spent _years _with the belief that dragons are beasts to be killed. We're the only two out of generations to see them in a different light." Sunset shrugged helplessly. "It may take more than just one show with a Monstrous Nightmare to show them what we see. And you know what? If your dad doesn't accept who you really are, then that's his problem. You've done nothing wrong."

"I know. You're right." Hiccup smiled softly. "You're always right."

Sunset rested her head against his shoulder. "Not _always_, but most of the time."

"...Sun, if things go wrong tomorrow-"

"I'll be right there with you." Sunset said firmly. "No matter what anyone says or does, I'll be right beside you. Wherever you go, I go."

Hiccup looked at his best friend and a warm feeling welled up in his chest. She had been there for him since they were three years old. She had comforted him during the aftermath of his mother's death and had always accepted him for who he was. And when things were about to get rough and dangerous, she was still by his side, unshakeable.

He loved and appreciated her more than she would ever know. "And wherever you go, I go." He finished their motto, slinging an arm around her shoulder and closing his eyes.

As long as Sunset still believed in him, he could face anything.

**I haven't made up my mind as to if I'll incorporate Sunset into the Dragons: Riders of Berk episodes. You guys can give me your input if you want, and I'll think about it some more. **


	10. Drastic Turn of Events

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**Drastic Turn of Events**

The day had arrived.

All of Berk was gathered in the arena stands. Colourful flags and banners hung from the metal bars that separated the stands from the ring. Front and center was Stoick, sitting in a grand wooden chair with a proud smile on his face.

Hiccup lingered just outside the ring, peering nervously through the steel-barred door. His new helmet fell just over his eyes, blocking his view for a moment. When he pushed it back in position it was to see Astrid and Sunset standing in front of him with worried expressions on their faces.

"How are you feeling?" Sunset asked.

"Like I'm about to throw up," Hiccup replied.

"Er, try not to do that."

Astrid placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. He tried not to blush and focussed on what the blonde was saying. "**Be careful with that dragon.**"

Hiccup swallowed thickly. "**It's not the dragon I'm worried about,**" he admitted.

"You're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" Astrid asked worriedly.

"Well, I've already done that, so I'll probably do something crazy this time." Hiccup joked feebly.

"Just do the same thing to the Nightmare as we did to Toothless," Sunset directed. "It's possible to train dragons. We know this. Now you just have to prove it to everyone else."

"You make it sound so easy!" Hiccup exclaimed. "And we both know this is very likely going to end in disaster." He took a shaky breath to calm the pounding of his heart. "Sun, if things go wrong, you need to make sure no one gets to Toothless."

"Of course." Sunset nodded. "But...promise me nothing will go wrong, okay?" She pleaded, her eyes welling with tears.

Hiccup did not respond.

"Alright all, settle down!" Stoick's thunderous voice boomed through the arena. The cheers immediately stopped. "Now, if someone would have told me that my son would place first in dragon training, I would have tied them up and made them set sail with the belief they had gone mad!"

The crowd roared with laughter. Hiccup grimaced.

"But yet, here we are. And no one is more proud or surprised than I am. Today, my boy becomes one of us! _Let the fight begin!"_

Gobber hobbled down the narrow slope that led to the steel gate. He used his axe-hand to pry the door open and shot Hiccup a look of pride. "That's your cue, Hiccup. Knock 'em dead!"

The boy quickly gave Sunset a hug before entering the arena. Gobber shut the gate behind him and went back to his place beside Stoick. The crowd screamed loudly as Hiccup stumbled into the ring.

"Go Hiccup!"

"Slaughter that beast!"

"Show no mercy!"

Trembling, Hiccup walked over to the weapon's rack and removed a shield and a small dagger. He gazed firmly at the bolted door and said, "**I'm ready.**"

Sunset watched as the door bolt was raised. She twisted on her heel and was about to hurry off when Astrid grabbed her arm. "Sunset, you can't leave." The blonde said firmly. "Hiccup needs you here."

"I know he does." Sunset gently pried the girl's hand off of her arm. "I'm going to the stands. When Hiccup does his Hiccup thing, I'm going to make sure Stoick lets him."

Astrid nodded and the redhead took off. The blonde turned to peer through the iron bars at Hiccup, who was watching the rumbling cage door warily.

_BOOM!_

The door flew off its hinges and the Monstrous Nightmare charged out, its body aflame. The dragon snarled at the heckling cries and scaled the enclosure, blowing fire at the jeering crowd. Hiccup watched as the dragon dropped back to the ground, finally spotting him.

Growling, the dragon moved forward.

The Vikings went silent.

Hiccup extended his arm and dropped the dagger. He kicked it aside, and then dropped the shield. The crowd muttered in confusion.

"What is that boy doing?" Stoick whispered, a bad feeling rising in his stomach.

Feeling a little less hostile now that Hiccup had discarded the weapon, the Monstrous Nightmare growled softly, pacing back and forth in front of the boy. "Ssh," Hiccup said softly. "It's going to be alright."

The dragon regarded him in a dubious manner, its eyes straying to Hiccup's helmet.

Understanding, Hiccup removed it and tossed it aside. "Don't worry. **I'm not one of them**."

And in that moment, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was finally proud of that fact.

The Vikings gasped at the admission and began muttering amongst themselves. Stoick gripped the wooden armrests and glared into the ring. Hiccup ignored the Vikings and slowly extended his hand towards the dragon.

Stoick jumped from his chair, his heart pounding. "**Stop the fight**."

"You need to see this," Hiccup said firmly. The dragon's muzzle was inches away. "We don't need to kill them. We're all wrong about dragons."

"**STOP THE FIGHT!**" Stoick roared, about to slam his hammer down on the metal encasement.

Sunset lunged out of the crowd, wrapping her skinny arms tightly around Stoick's forearm, attempting to hold him back. "_Don't!_" She cried. "Let Hiccup do this!"

Furious, Stoick threw Sunset aside. The girl crashed into the encasement, her helmet smacking into the metal. The loud metallic sound startled the Monstrous Nightmare and it snapped at Hiccup's hand. The boy yelped in panic and Monstrous Nightmare, spooked by Hiccup's sudden movements, attacked.

Hiccup screamed as a he barely avoided a stream of fire. Astrid grabbed an axe and pried the iron gate open, rushing into the ring to help. She grabbed a hammer from the weapons rack and threw it at the dragon, effectively distracting him. As the Nightmare went after Astrid, Hiccup hurried to collect his shield.

"Move!" Stoick hollered, shoving through the crowd to get to the doorway. Gobber watching in worry as his apprentice scrambled around the arena, deflecting fire attacks with his shield. He turned to see how Sunset was holding up-only to find the girl twisting herself through the metal encasement.

"SUNSET!"

The redhead dropped into the arena, landing beside Hiccup and Astrid. Angry, the Monstrous Nightmare unleashed a torrent of fire around the ring. Astrid, Sunset and Hiccup crowded behind the boy's shield to avoid the attack.

Stoick threw open the door. "Over here!" He bellowed.

The kids raced for safety. Astrid got through first, but the Monstrous Nightmare landed in front of Hiccup and Sunset, preventing them from going on. They quickly backtracked, the Nightmare hot on their heels.

They didn't get far.

The dragon pounced, pinning the two to the ground. With a mighty roar, it prepared to unleash a deadly attack.

_Déjà vu,_ Sunset thought, immediately recalling their last encounter with a Monstrous Nightmare.

A familiar roar pierced the air. Gobber glanced at the sky and gasped. "Get down! It's a Night Fury!"

Toothless bounded over the crowd, blowing apart the encasement with a single blast. He disappeared into the swelling smoke. The Vikings crowded around, straining their eyes and looking about frantically. "Someone get in there and help them!" One Viking cried.

For a moment, Stoick couldn't breathe.

Suddenly Toothless rolled out of the smoke, battling viciously with the Nightmare. Their snarls echoed through the arena. Eventually, Toothless managed to kick the Nightmare off and immediately placed himself between the frightened dragon and his humans.

The Monstrous Nightmare stepped forward, but a mighty roar from Toothless caused the dragon to back off. With a soft snort, the Nightmare retreated into his cage.

"Get out of there!" Gobber roared at the two teens, who were still sitting on the ground, stunned.

"Get the Night Fury!" Someone else shouted.

That one cry sent the kids to their feet. They raced over to Toothless, desperately urging him to get away. "Toothless, you need to leave!" Sunset cried.

"Please, bud." Hiccup pleaded.

But Toothless refused to leave them.

Vikings swarmed into the arena, shoving the kids aside and attempting to capture the Night Fury. Toothless snarled and slashed out. Stoick strode through the crowd, grabbing a hammer and raising it high. "No!" Astrid cried.

"He's not going to hurt you!" Hiccup yelled. "Dad, please!"

"You're scaring him!" Sunset added.

Stoick ignored them. He swung the hammer and Toothless pounced before he could do any damage. The Night Fury pinned him to the ground and opened his mouth for a plasma blast.

"TOOTHLESS! DON'T!" Hiccup screamed.

The horror in his voice caused Toothless to cut off his attack. Confused, but not wanting to make his friends upset, he turned around with an assuring gaze, promising not to harm the man.

The Vikings, not realizing that Hiccup had just been obeyed by a dragon, piled onto the Night Fury. Hiccup and Sunset hurried over to intervene, but Astrid held them back. "You're only going to make things worse," she whispered.

"Don't hurt him," Sunset pleaded, tears running down her pale cheeks.

"_Please_," Hiccup begged. "Leave him alone."

"Put that dragon with the others!" Stoick roared. The Vikings obeyed his order. Slowly, Stoick turned a burning glare onto Hiccup and Sunset, who could only stare back helplessly.

Everything had just taken a drastic turn for the worse.


	11. Something Crazy

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**Something Crazy**

The door to Hiccup's house slammed open, rattling violently on its hinges. Hiccup grunted as he was thrown to the cold floor. Slowly, he glanced up at his father, who was looming over him with an expression of pure fury on his face. "Dad-"

"I should have known something was wrong," Stoick said angrily, cutting off Hiccup's meek plead. "The sign that should have tipped me off is when Gobber told me _Sunset _was the second-best student!" He paced the length of the room, attempting to process the recent events. "Hiccup, we had a deal!"

"I know, Dad, I'm sorry. Things just got out of hand and I didn't know how to tell you." Hiccup ran a hand through his hair.

Stoick glared. "So everything you and Sunset did in the ring was a trick?"

"Everything we did in the ring was never intended to be used to harm the dragons," Hiccup said finally. "And we screwed up. But please, punish Sunset and I, but don't harm Toothless."

_Unbelievable. Not only did he name the beast, but he's _worried _about it. _"What about the people you nearly killed, Hiccup?" Stoick demanded. "You should be more concerned about them than some dragon!"

"Toothless isn't dangerous," Hiccup exclaimed. "He was only trying to protect me."

"_Protect you?" _Stoick roared. "Those beasts have killed _hundreds _of us!"

Hiccup stood up straight and glared heatedly at his father. "**And we've killed **_**thousands **_**of them**! Every time they steal our food, it's because they need it to defend themselves! If they don't bring enough food back to their queen, then they'll die."

Stoick froze. "Their queen? If you know those beasts have a queen, then you must have been to the nest."

Hiccup closed his eyes, aware that he had revealed too much. "Dad-"

"How do you know where it is?" Stoick demanded.

"I don't! Only a dragon can find-"

Sudden determination shone in Stoick's eyes. The Viking leader shoved Hiccup aside and strode for the door. Desperate, Hiccup grabbed his arm. "You can't! You have no idea what you're dealing with, Dad! It's nothing you've ever seen before!"

Stoick refused to listen to him. The village leader threw Hiccup to the floor. An icy silence filled the room. Finally, after a moment, Stoick spoke in a hard voice. "You've already showed that you're with the dragons. **You're not a Viking. You're not my son.**"

Hiccup slumped to the floor, feelings as if someone had punched him in the stomach. Stoick stormed out the door, a flurry of emotions swirling inside him. "Get the ships ready!" He hollered, with a small crack in his mighty voice.

Sunset peered out of her hiding spot from behind the bushes. She waited until Stoick was well off in the distance before carefully pushing open the door. Hiccup glanced up as she walked in, his gaze almost lifeless.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup." Sunset whispered, crouching beside him.

"And to think all of this started because I wanted to kill a dragon to make my father proud of me," Hiccup muttered, sitting up and burying his face in his hands. "Instead, I made him disown me."

"You didn't make him do anything." Sunset said firmly. "He could have listened to you-everyone could have listened to you. But they refused to open their minds to something greater. None of this is our fault."

Hiccup turned to look at his best friend. "Did your father...?" He swallowed, unsure if he should ask such a personal question.

A tired smile crossed Sunset's pale face. "As of five minutes ago, he officially disowned me. Apparently, the greatest sin in the world is befriending dragons."

Hiccup snorted softly. "We messed up big time, Sun."

"Yeah. But it also means we have a big clean-up job to you." Sunset helped Hiccup to his feet. "Your father told the others to get the ships ready. Is he...?"

"He's going after the nest," Hiccup said grimly. "And nothing we say or do will stop him."

"We need to think of something, Hiccup."

"I know." The boy glanced out the window for a moment before sighing heavily and breaking into a run. He burst out the door and raced off, Sunset right on his heels. The two kids scrambled up the sides of the rocky cliffs until they reached a section that curled over the water. From there they had a clear view of the ships prepping for the ultimate battle.

"Toothless," Sunset whispered as she watched the dragon being lowered onto the head ship. The Night Fury was chained to a wooden pallet and muzzled.

Hiccup swallowed past the lump in his throat and stared down at the ships. His father's gaze flickered up to meet his, and after a moment Stoick turned away. Sunset watched in dismay as the ships set sail. "Seriously, Hiccup. We need a plan right now."

"What are we supposed to do?" Hiccup demanded.

The two lapsed into silence, feeling powerless. Astrid climbed up to where the two were standing and approached them. "Well. This is pretty bad."

"You're telling us," Sunset muttered.

"Everything is about to be lost-your fathers, the tribe, and your best friend. You must feel terrible."

"Thank you, for reminding us of the situation." Hiccup said dryly. He rubbed his forehead. "Oh, why didn't I kill that dragon when I had the chance? None of this would be happening."

"Any other Viking would have done it." Astrid agreed. "We all know why Sunset wouldn't do such a thing. But why didn't you?"

Hiccup shrugged, not really having an answer. "I just...couldn't, I guess."

Astrid shook her head. She knew there was more to it than that. "That's not it."

Hiccup frowned. "Why is this suddenly so important to you?"

Astrid stared firmly at Hiccup. "I want to remember what you say, right now."

Hiccup ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I was weak, okay? **I wouldn't kill a dragon**!"

Sunset smiled slightly at the change in wording. Astrid grinned. "You said wouldn't this time."

"Does it matter?" Hiccup exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "I'm one of the two Vikings in three hundred years that wouldn't kill a dragon."

"You're the first to ride one, though." Astrid pointed out.

Hiccup blinked in realization. "Yeah..."He glanced at Astrid, who was watching him expectantly. "I wouldn't kill him because he was as frightened as I was. When I looked at Toothless, I saw myself."

"He's probably really frightened now," Sunset said softly, glancing out at the open sea. The ships were mere specks in the distance.

"What are you two going to do about it?" Astrid prodded.

Hiccup and Sunset glanced at each other as the same idea struck them. Sunset grinned. "Most likely something stupid."

Astrid smirked. "Well, that's good, but you've already done that."

Hiccup smiled softly. "Then we're probably going to do something crazy."

The two friends raced down the cliff. As they ran they relayed their ideas off of the other to make sure they were on the right track. Astrid watched them go with a smile. "That's what I'm talking about." She took off towards the village with the intent of rounding up her friends.

Hiccup and Sunset were going to need a little help.


	12. Rescue Mission

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**Rescue Mission**

Fog hung around the ships like an irremovable blanket. Stoick could barely see the other ships in the fleet, and he knew that they were right next to his. The tribe leader gripped the gunwale and cast a wary glance at Toothless, who did not move a muscle. Stoick snorted softly and turned his gaze back to the water. "Sound positions," he boomed, wanting to ensure that his armada had not strayed off course.

"Present," someone hollered from his right.

"All well over here," a woman shouted to his left.

More calls reached his ears, confirming their positions. Satisfied that he had not lost a ship in the voyage, Stoick turned his attention back to Toothless to make sure that he hadn't missed a sign that would indicate the location of the dragon's nest.

Gobber joined Stoick by the gunwale. He eyed the rising sea stacks wearily, knowing disaster would be upon them if one happened to gouge the side of their ship. "So, Stoick, I overheard some of the men voicing their concerns, and some were wondering-not me, of course-if you had any sort of plan."

"Locate the nest and destroy it," Stoick answered shortly.

"Yes, of course." Gobber nodded. "Do it the Viking way-send those beasts running."

A movement out of the corner of his eye brought Stoick's attention back to the trapped Toothless. The dragon's ears were at alert, twitching in the direction of sounds unheard by the Vikings. Stoick crossed the stern of the ship purposefully and took hold of the wheel, moving the helmsman out of the way. He turned the ship in the direction of where Toothless' ears were pointing. "**Bear to port!**" He hollered, and soon the shout was carried from ship to ship.

A sea stack appeared suddenly from the fog, grazing the side of the ship. Stoick kept a firm grasp on the wheel, his eyes flickering from Toothless to the water.

They were close. He could feel it.

Victory would soon be theirs.

...

As the armada grew closer to their destination, Sunset and Hiccup were frantically prying open the door to the Monstrous Nightmare's cage, putting the first phase of their plan into action. As Hiccup pulled the door open, Sunset coaxed the dragon out into the ring. "It's okay," she cooed. "No one is going to hurt you."

"If you really want to get eaten, I suggest the Gronkle." A voice piped up from behind them.

Startled, the two spun around to see the rest of their classmates standing in the middle of the ring, observing them.

"**You were wise to seek help from the world's most deadly weapon.**" Tuffnut proclaimed.

Hiccup and Sunset exchanged glances.

"**It's me**," Tuffnut added, gesturing to himself.

Snotlout rolled his eyes and shoved Tuffnut to the side. "This plan is awesome!"

"Uh, thanks." Hiccup blinked.

Ruffnut leaned in close to the boy. "You're insane. I like that in a guy."

Astrid rolled her eyes at the actions of her friends and pushed Ruffnut out of the way. "So, what are we doing?"

"You mean you guys aren't mad at us?" Sunset asked, the question directed at the teens gathered behind Astrid.

"Well, we were a little miffed at first." Fishlegs admitted. "But we realized that it's actually cool that you guys know how to train a dragon."

Hiccup and Sunset glanced at each other before smiling.

"Welcome aboard to what I call 'Mission Death Wish'," Sunset grinned.

"I don't like the sound of that," Fishlegs said nervously.

Hiccup urged the Monstrous Nightmare from its cage. Snotlout eyed the dragon wearily and, out of instinct, bent to retrieve the broken head of a spear from the ground. Astrid slapped his shoulder, shaking her head. Snotlout hesitantly dropped the weapon and stood up.

The Monstrous Nightmare stood inches in front of Snotlout, breathing heavily. Hiccup took Snotlout's shaking hand and directed it towards the muzzle of the dragon. Panicked, Snotlout yanked it back. "What are you doing?"

"Its fine," Hiccup assured him, taking his hand again. He placed it carefully on the muzzle of the Monstrous Nightmare. Snotlout grinned in awe when the dragon leaned into his touch, purring softly. Sunset smiled and went over to the wooden trunk of supplies, removing a bundle of ropes.

"I think you guys are going to need these to hang on," she advised.

The other teens watched in amazement as Hiccup moved the other dragons into the ring. All of them were calm and content, as they had no reason to feel threatened.

"Alright guys. Pick a dragon and saddle up," Hiccup instructed. "We're going to save our tribe."

...

As the teens saddled up, Stoick and the fleet of Viking ships were approaching the nest. They sailed past wrecked ship impaled upon a sea stack. Gobber eyed it as they floated by. "Huh. So that's where that went."

A sudden buzz directed their attention to the sky. The buzzing grew louder, echoing throughout the air. Stoick narrowed his eyes. "Prepare yourself. We're coming in to the dragon's nest."

Sure enough, a mere second after he finished speaking, the ship jolted as it crawled slowly onto a pebbly beach. Stoick departed from the ship, scanning the wide land. His eyes landed on the tall, rugged volcano right in front of him.

"Ready the weapons," Stoick ordered. "**We're here**."

The men and women obeyed, readying canyons and beginning the construction of catapults. Boulders from the shoreline were piled behind the make-shift border, constructed out of sharpened tree trunks. Stoick supervised the entire defense preparations, ensuring that they would be well protected against the beasts.

It was only when he was satisfied with the setup did Stoick turn to his generals, Gobber and Spitelout. "When I give the signal, launch the catapults. We're going to crack this mountain open. Once it happens, all hell will break loose."

"Well, it's a good thing I brought extra undies, then." Gobber remarked.

Stoick ignored his friend and turned to face his army. "**No matter how this ends, it ends today.**"

He was answered by a roar of agreement. Stoick walked to the base of the mountain, waited a moment, and raised his arm.

The catapults were launched, boulders flying through the air and smashing into the side of the mountain. Eventually a section of the mountain crumbled away, leaving a gaping hole in the side. Stoick raised his arm again and this time a flaming bush was sent through the hole, allowing the Vikings to see for a brief moment the hundreds of dragons clinging to the interior walls of the mountain.

Stoick let out a war cry and charged into hole just as the dragons flew out in a chaotic race, startled by the flaming foliage. Stoick attempted to smack any dragon that came within reach, but the beasts were flying too fast for him to make contact and none were fighting back. Gobber lowered his axe and watched as the cloud of dragons flew away. "Is that all? That wasn't so bad."

"We did it!" Spitelout hollered. The Vikings cheered victoriously.

Stoick frowned. Something wasn't right.

"_ROAR!"_

A deep, guttural roar echoed from within the mountain. The entire formation trembled, rocks tumbling down the side. The ground shook violently. Stoick gripped his hammer and hollered, "It's not over yet! Pull together and keep your ranks!"

The Vikings immediately obeyed, suddenly frightened as to what they had unleashed.

Something suddenly burst from the mountain, causing waves of rocks to rain down everywhere. The Vikings shouted in panic as a gargantuan, light blue dragon stomped out, roaring ferociously.

Gobber stared. "Thor almighty!"

"Odin help us all," Stoick breathed, aghast. "LAUNCH THE CATAPULTS!"

The Vikings scrambled to obey. Boulders struck the beast, but the only thing the attack seemed to accomplish was make the monster angry. It stomped on the catapults, crushing the wooden contraptions like a bug.

The Vikings soon realized that they were in a hopeless battle. "To the ships!" Spitelout cried.

Stoick caught the dragon's head moving towards the fleet of ships and knew instantly what was about to happen. "**NO!**"

A torrent of flame engulfed every ship, setting them ablaze. The Vikings who were left aboard jumped into the water and swam for safety. Toothless, weighed down by chains, whimpered in fear as the flames licked towards him.

"What have I done?" Stoick whispered. "Spitelout! Get everyone to the far side of the island!"

Spitelout nodded and hollered out to the crowd of panicked Vikings. They immediately started running for safety, leaving Stoick and Gobber at the back of the crowd. "Go," Stoick ordered Gobber.

"Nah, I think I'll stay with you. Just in case you decide to do something stupid," Gobber said.

Stoick put a hand on his shoulder. "I can give them a few minutes by fighting the beast."

Gobber removed Stoick's hand from his shoulder and grasped it firmly. "And I'll double that time."

Stoick smiled and the two charged at the monstrous beast. Stoick threw a rock into its eye, effectively grabbing its attention. "Over here!"

"No, no!" Gobber hollered, distracting the dragon. "You want me instead!"

"You want _me_!" Stoick shouted.

Fed up, the dragon focussed on Stoick and opened its mouth, firing up gas. Before it could fire, a blast struck the back of its head, causing the beast to twist around just in time to see a group of dragons fly around it.

Hiccup flew the Deadly Nadder around the dragon, studying it critically. Astrid clung to his waist and Sunset sat behind her. "Wow," the redhead whispered. "Talk about death taking form."

"More like the Red Death," Hiccup muttered. Louder, he called, "Ruff and Tuff, watch your backs! Fishlegs, you need to pick up the speed!"

The Red Death snarled and snapped after them. The kids flew their dragons out of reach, satisfied that they had distracted it from the two Vikings below.

Gobber and Stoick stared in awe. "He's every bit the stubborn Viking you ever were."

Speechless, Stoick could only nod.

...

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" One Viking cried, staring at the spectacle in disbelief.

"The kids are flying dragons!" Another cried.

"Are they really going to fight the Red Death?"

"They'll be killed!"

"Keep moving," Spitelout ordered. As much as he wanted to observe what would occur, he knew that if things went wrong they would be sitting ducks.

"Hey, Spitelout, isn't that your son on the Monstrous Nightmare?"

That sealed it.

Concerned and horrified, Spitelout immediately turned around and started back towards the main part of the island.

Nothing, not even orders from the chief, would keep him from ensuring his son's safety.

...

"Alright, Fishlegs!" Sunset called, surveying the Red Death below them. "What do we have?"

"Heavily armoured skull and tail," Fishlegs listed. "We need to avoid both. It's got small eyes, so it relies on its large nostrils for smell and its ears for hearing."

"Legs and Lout, find its blind spot!" Hiccup ordered. "You should make some noise to keep it confused. Ruff and Tuff, see if it has a shot limit. **Make it mad**."

"We can do that," Ruff grinned mischievously. The kids flew off to do as they were instructed.

"We'll try to be back as soon as we can," Sunset called as Hiccup directed the Deadly Nadder high in the sky.

"No worries! We got this!" Tuffnut hollered as he and Ruffnut flew their Hideous Zippleback in front of the Red Death.

Hiccup scanned the ground below, frantically searching for Toothless. Sunset spotted the flaming ships and gasped in horror. "There! On the ship!"

Hiccup steered the Nadder over to the ship Sunset pointed out. Hiccup handed the reins to Astrid and the two jumped to the burning deck, protecting their faces from the flames. "Go and help the others!" Hiccup instructed.

"We got this," Sunset added.

Astrid nodded, casting them a worried look before flying off. Hiccup and Sunset hurried over to Toothless. The Night Fury whimpered happily upon seeing them. "Hang in there, bud." Hiccup said, removing the muzzle.

"We're not going to leave you like this," Sunset assured him, yanking on the chains desperately.

Toothless shrieked in warning. The kids glanced up just in time to see the Red Death's giant foot crashing down onto the ship, sending them all flying into the water. Planks and pieces of cloth surrounded them as they sunk. Hiccup and Sunset gathered their senses quickly and swam down to Toothless, who was struggling madly.

They were all sinking. The kids tugged helplessly on the chains, knowing they didn't have the strength to free their dragon. Hiccup and Sunset exchanged a desperate glance, their lungs screaming for air. They wouldn't last long.

But they weren't leaving Toothless.

A sudden force grabbed them by the backs of their vests, dragging them towards the surface. Hiccup and Sunset broke through the surface, coughing madly and gasping for air. They turned to see Stoick bringing them towards shore, a determined expression on his face.

"Dad...?" Hiccup asked tiredly as the tribe leader placed the kids underneath an overhanging rock.

Stoick did not answer. Instead, he lunged back into the water. Startled, Hiccup sat up and shoved the hair away from his eyes, watching the water intently. Sunset placed a hand on his arm and frowned in concern.

But they didn't need to worry. Toothless shot out of the water, bringing Stoick with him. "Wow," Sunset breathed.

Hiccup was awed. His father had saved Toothless.

His father had saved a dragon.

The roar of the Red Death reminded him of the problem at hand. Toothless jumped onto the rock they were taking cover beneath and snorted. Hiccup smiled. "Let's do this."

Hiccup hurried over and got into the saddle. Sunset raced over to her best friends, but Hiccup held out a hand, preventing her from climbing on. "Sun, this may get dangerous."

"Let's not be in denial." Sunset responded. "It _will _get dangerous."

"I don't want you to get hurt." Hiccup said firmly. "I'm going to do this alone."

"Like heck you are!" Sunset swatted Hiccup's hand away and jumped onto Toothless before Hiccup could take off without her. "This is one occasion where I'll take part in an act of violence. Wherever you go, I go."

Hiccup could not help but smile. "And wherever you go, I go."

"Wait, Hiccup!" The tribe leader ran over and grabbed Hiccup's arm. "I'm sorry, Hiccup, for everything."

Hiccup smiled softly. "I am too, Dad."

"You don't need to do this."

"Yeah, but hey, we're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard and all that." Hiccup grinned.

Stoick blinked hard. "Hiccup, I am proud to call you my son."

Hiccup beamed. It was as if a great weight had been taken off of his shoulders. "**Thanks Dad**."

Sunset grinned, delighted that Hiccup and his father had reconciled. Stoick then turned to her, catching her off guard. "And there's no one else I'd rather you be beside during this, Hiccup."

The girl flushed. "Thanks, sir."

Hiccup gave Toothless a nudge and they rocketed into the sky with Stoick watching them. Sunset noticed that the rest of their tribe had gathered a distance away, observing. "Well, Hiccup, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Hiccup agreed.

And they sped towards the Red Death, ready for battle.


	13. A Fight with Death

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**A Fight with Death**

Just as Astrid was beginning to think the worst, she spotted the streak of black speeding towards them. Elated, she turned to her friends. "Guys! They're up! Someone get Snotlout off of that thing!"

"Got it!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut shouted, pausing in their beating of each other (because not even a deadly battle with the dragon queen could prevent them from fighting) and flying to rescue Snotlout.

The boy gripped the Red Death's scales and glanced up to see the Zippleback coming towards him. He took a deep breath and charged down the length of the dragon's head and up the horn, leaping off the tip and sailing through the air. Ruffnut and Tuffnut swooped in and caught him.

"That actually worked!" Snotlout exclaimed.

"That was pretty awesome," Ruffnut complimented, helping her brother steer their dragon to a safe distance.

The Red Death snarled angrily. It spotted Astrid just as she flew above its head and inhaled deeply. A vortex was created, slowly sucking Astrid and her Nadder towards the dark depths.

Gobber watched helplessly as the girl got caught in the suction. A sudden, familiar whir reached his ears and he glanced behind him. "Get down!" He hollered, diving to the pebbly ground just as the Night Fury flew over him.

"Plasma blast!" Hiccup ordered. Toothless obeyed, sending the shot right at the side of the Red Death's head. The swirling vortex disappeared and Astrid was blown from her Nadder, sailing towards the ground. Toothless rushed towards her, catching the girl before she struck the ground.

"Did you catch her?" Sunset asked frantically, craning her neck to see below.

Toothless peered down at the blonde, who smiled. He beamed happily back and set the girl gently on the ground with the other Vikings before circling back to face the Red Death. Astrid watched them leave, her throat tight. "Be careful," she whispered.

"Alright Hiccup, what's the plan?" Sunset asked as they rocketed towards the dragon queen.

Hiccup squinted. "Do you see what I see?"

Sunset quickly scanned the dragon. "Does that thing have wings?"

"It does," Hiccup confirmed with a grin. "How about we see if it can fly?"

"I'm down with that," Sunset agreed. "Get that thing mad, Toothless."

The Night Fury grunted in understanding. He let loose a powerful blast that caused the unprepared Red Death to fall to the ground with a massive _thump_. Furious and fed up, the Red Death unfurled its beat-up wings upon seeing its attacker hovering high in the sky.

"That did it," Sunset said.

"Come on, bud, let's go!" Hiccup called, directing Toothless over the sea. They weaved between the sea stacks, attempting to slow down the Red Death. But the monstrous dragon was too strong and sent every sea stack it came into contact with crumbling into dust. The Vikings watched with growing anxiety when it became apparent that the Red Death was not tiring out.

"This isn't working," Sunset called. "Any other ideas?"

Hiccup frowned. He glanced up at the misty clouds above. "Yeah, I do. Make us invisible, Toothless."

The trio entered a steep climb. Sunset grabbed her helmet to keep it on her head. The sound of hissing gas caused her to whiten. "Hiccup-!"

"I hear it!" Hiccup jerked Toothless to the side just as the Red Death shot a torrent of flame. The attack missed the group by inches.

"We're almost there," Sunset assured Toothless as the Night Fury began to breathe heavily from the steepness of the flight.

Just as the Red Death was about to close in on them they disappeared in the clouds. Irritated, the Red Death roared. It scanned the sky, frantically searching for a sign from its prey.

_Swoosh!_

Toothless flew past the Red Death, but not before unleashing a fire blast. The attack tore a hole into the Red Death's wing, but before it could retaliate the kids and the Night Fury were gone again.

This method of attack was repeated a few more times, the blasts lighting up the grey sky. The wings of the Red Death were almost torn completely. Furious, the Red Death unleashed fire in all directions. Sunset yelped as she spotted the glow of the attack. "Look out!"

Hiccup directed Toothless out of the way, but not before the prosthetic tailfin caught on fire. "Yeah, I think this might be a problem." Sunset called.

"No kidding." Hiccup muttered, "Alright, fun's over. **Let's see if this works**."

They flew right in front of the Red Death's face. "You can do way better than that," Hiccup taunted.

"It's like you're not even trying," Sunset added.

Toothless sneered at the beast. Hiccup sent Toothless into a jackknife dive and the Red Death was quick to follow. "Are we doing what I think we're doing?" Sunset asked as they picked up speed.

"Probably," Hiccup said. "How's the tail doing?"

Sunset cast a quick glance behind her. "It's falling apart and the Red Death is approaching fast."

"Tell me when it's about to attack." Hiccup ordered.

"Got it."

The Red Death closed the gap and caught the trio within its sight. It opened its mouth and the gas began to gather, preparing for ignition. "**NOW!**" Sunset hollered.

Hiccup spun Toothless around and the Night Fury unleashed a fire blast. The attack went straight down the Red Death's throat, igniting the gas and causing the monster to flare up from within. A chain of eruptions caused the beast to slowly start burning up.

Sunset winced. "This is nasty."

"But effective," Hiccup grinned. He flew Toothless out of the way of the falling beast and over it. The Red Death struck the ground head-first, a series of bursting explosions consuming the beast. Hiccup, Sunset and Toothless weaved around the massive back plates, wings and trembling legs of the dragon. The burning fire was rapidly approaching them as they attempted to outrun the fireball.

"HICCUP!" Sunset shrieked.

Hiccup snapped his head up to see the Red Death's tail come crashing towards them. He tried adjusting the pedals, but the tail had disintegrated completely. There was nothing to control.

Sunset clung to Hiccup, knowing exactly what would befall them. Hiccup gave Sunset's hands a squeeze. No words needed to be exchanged. They already knew how much the other meant to them.

The tail struck them, sending the two kids flying off of Toothless and towards the fireball. Knocked unconscious from the impact, they fell limply towards their death. Toothless cried out and desperately tried to reach them, twisting madly as the inferno swallowed them all up.

The Vikings observing below cried out in horror. A sheet of ash covered the island, preventing anyone from seeing the fate of Hiccup and Sunset.

"NO!" Stoick roared, running in the direction where he had seen the kids fall. He stumbled over pebbles, squinting through the ash and calling out desperately. "Son? Can you hear me? Hiccup? Sunset?"

He spotted Toothless slumped on the ground and raced for the dragon. Toothless was beaten up, but he was still conscious. Stoick stared blankly at the empty saddle. He dropped to his knees, grief running rampant. "This is my fault," he whispered. "**I did this**."

The other Vikings slowly gathered round, tears welling up in their eyes. Astrid swallowed back a sob and placed a hand over her mouth. Gobber closed his eyes and lowered his head, shaken. The dragons gathered behind the crowd, sensing something terrible had happened and keeping silent.

Toothless tiredly turned his head and glanced at the broken Stoick. "I'm sorry," Stoick whispered. "If I had listened...I'm _so _sorry."

The Night Fury understood now that this man was Hiccup's father. It was why his boy had protected him even though Stoick had wanted to harm Toothless. And it also seemed that Stoick understood Toothless, as well.

All they wanted to do was protect Hiccup.

Toothless unfurled his wings. An unconscious Hiccup and Sunset tumbled out, their faces streaked with ash and burns. Stoick gasped and gathered Hiccup in his arms, checking for his heartbeat. He only allowed relief to course through him when he was sure that Sunset was alive as well. "They're alright!" He shouted with laughter. "They're alive!"

The crowd roared with cheer. Astrid gaped happily and Gobber beamed.

"Thank you," Stoick said sincerely to Toothless. "For saving them."

Toothless cooed softly before resting his head once more.

"Most of Hiccup, anyway." Gobber remarked, coming to stand beside Stoick and studying the two teens intently. Stoick cast Gobber a glare before eyeing the mangled and deformed leg of Hiccup. Noting Stoick's worried frown, Gobber smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I'll have him fixed up in no time. Besides, if can defeat the most terrible dragon in the world, than he can handle this. And with Sunset by his side, he can _definitely _handle it."

A dark frown suddenly crossed his face. "Speaking of which, I'm going to give Moonlight a piece of my mind."

"Please do," Stoick growled. "I'm going to tend to these two. Spitelout! Start working on a way to get us back to Berk!"

"Sir, I think I have just the solution." Astrid smiled and walked up to her chief.

Gobber did not hear the exchange, as he was intent on finding Sunset's father. The large, silver-bearded man was leaning against an outcropping of rock, a bored expression on his scarred face. "Does it interest you at all to know that Sunset is alive?" Gobber asked flatly.

Moonlight scowled. "I disowned the girl. Whatever happens to her is of no interest to me."

"She risked her_ life _to save us and that's all you can say?" Gobber demanded, growing angry.

"I will not have a daughter who coerces with dragons!" Moonlight growled.

"Then I don't think there will be a reason for you to live on Berk anymore!" Gobber snapped. "Look around you, Moonlight."

Moonlight did so, and was less than pleased to see that his fellow Vikings were cautiously interacting with the beasts. "Fools, all of them."

"No, _you're _the fool." Gobber snapped. "For many years you've punished Sunset for something that was out of her control."

Moonlight bristled. "Don't you dare-!"

"I'm daring!" Gobber poked Moonlight angrily in the chest. "Have you ever thought that Dawn left because of _you_? Thor, it baffles me that Sunset hadn't disowned you first!"

"She can't-!"

"She should've," Gobber said firmly, not giving the man a chance to finish a sentence. "I think we've all realized that Sunset and Hiccup were always the ones who had things right. We've accepted it, so why can't you?"

"It's not the Viking way!" Moonlight roared, furious. "And what makes me any different from Stoick?" He demanded, knowing very well that the man had disliked his son's ways as much as he disliked his daughter's.

"Stoick _always _loved Hiccup." Gobber said firmly. "And that's more than I can say for you. And since you're too close-minded and stubborn to admit your faults, I will make sure that Sunset is looked after."

"By who?" Moonlight sneered. "Who would want that lousy excuse for a girl?"

Gobber paused. He had never actually considered who he would get to take care of Sunset. All he knew was that the poor girl had been through enough and the last thing she needed was to live alone. As much as Stoick would like to take the girl in, he already had his hands full with Hiccup and the duties of being chief.

He had known Sunset since she was a toddler. Since the day she met Hiccup they were inseparable. She was always in his forge, ever since Hiccup began his apprenticeship. She always helped him with any odd tasks that needed to be done and he always had to chase her down when she attempted to save the animals doomed to be their dinner.

"I will," Gobber said determinedly, knowing what he was committing to would be a challenge.

Moonlight roared with laughter. "Good luck. After a few weeks, you'll see exactly what I see when you look at the girl."

"I doubt that," Gobber said coldly. "I hope _you _can adjust to this new life with dragons."

And he left before Moonlight could retort.

There were two teens that needed his attention at the moment-and they were a _lot _more important than Moonlight.


	14. A New Beginning

**I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Direct quotes from the movie are bolded.**

**A New Beginning**

Hiccup and Sunset were unconscious for over a week. The injuries they had sustained meant that their bodies needed a long period of rest in order for them to recover. Still, the people of Berk could not help but worry over the slim possibility of the teens never waking up.

"When do you think they'll wake?" Fishlegs asked one afternoon during their daily visits. The Viking teens checked up on Hiccup and Sunset at least once a day.

"Soon, I hope." Astrid sighed, eyeing Hiccup's limp form with worry. Toothless rested by the side of the bed, occasionally nudging Hiccup's arm to see if he could stir the boy awake. The Night Fury alternated between Hiccup and Sunset, making sure that both of his kids were well looked after and that he kept the same amount of attention on both.

After a while the teens filed out, knowing that they could do nothing. All they could do was wait for their friends to wake up.

And eventually, they did.

...

"_Ugh..."_

A soft moan rumbled in Sunset's throat as she came to consciousness. Her entire body ached, especially her head, which felt like it was being pounded on by a hammer. Gingerly the redhead sat up, probing the bandages wrapped around her head. Bruises and cuts covered her arms and she could feel the scab of a healing burn on the side of her face.

"What hit me?" She mumbled, slowly sitting up and pushing the blanket off of her. She glanced around in confusion at the unfamiliar furniture. "An even better question-who's house am I in?"

Before she could worry too much about the fact she was not in her own bedroom, the recent events came rushing back and a more alarming question took over-what happened to Hiccup and Toothless?

Panicked, she flew out of the room and out of the house, the afternoon sunlight nearly blinding her after two weeks of darkness. Ignoring her aching headache Sunset pushed on, tearing through the village as fast as she could. Exclamations sounded as she streaked past the clusters of Vikings, but she did not slow down to acknowledge them.

"Sunset!"

"What are you doing out here?"

"You should be resting!"

The redhead had made it to the foot of the slope where Hiccup's home was. This was where her energy ran out and she crumpled to the grass, panting heavily and her vision swimming. "Hiccup..."she groaned.

The door to Hiccup's house slammed open. Sunset glanced up and smiled brightly when Toothless bounded towards her, cooing happily. She rubbed his muzzle and giggled when he licked her face in excitement. "Hey, cutie. I missed you."

"Sunset, what are you doing?" Stoick demanded, a little alarmed when he noticed her pale face. "You ought to be resting!"

"I needed to see if Toothless and Hiccup were alright." Sunset leaned against Toothless in exhaustion. The dragon immediately helped support her. "How's Hiccup?" Sunset asked.

"He'll be fine." Stoick assured her. "He'll just...have to adjust to a few things."

"There you are!"

Sunset turned around to see Gobber lumbering up towards them. "Hi, Gobber."

Gobber slapped her shoulder affectionately. "I turn my back for one second and you disappear!"

Sunset was confused for only a moment before realizing that it must have been Gobber's house she was in. _Right. Father officially disowned me. _"Sorry. I had to make sure Hiccup and Toothless were okay." Sunset debated for a moment before hesitantly asking, "So...where's my fath-Moonlight?"

Gobber and Stoick exchanged glances. "He...left." Gobber answered slowly.

Sunset blinked in surprise. She knew her father hated her, but she didn't think it was strong enough to push him from Berk. "Wow. I guess he _really _can't stand me."

"It's not so much that," Gobber said, attempting to make the girl feel better. "It's mostly the dragons."

"But it's only Toothless." Sunset frowned and stroked Toothless' head. "I know he can be intolerant, but really. It's one dragon!"

"You really didn't take a good look around, did you?" Gobber grinned.

Confused, Sunset turned around and scanned the village clearly for the first time since she stepped outside. An expression of pure disbelief crossed her face when she spotted dragons of all kinds combing the island, most of them with Vikings on their backs. "Whoa."

"This is all you," Stoick smiled. "You and Hiccup."

Sunset smirked. "So I guess all of this isn't so bad after all," she said as she gestured to herself.

"No, it certainly isn't." Stoick laughed. He then grew serious. "Sunset, I want to thank you for sticking beside Hiccup during all this, especially going to battle the Red Death with him."

"It's nothing," Sunset smiled. "It's what we do-watch each other's backs."

"Aye. And I'm glad Hiccup has you to do that." Stoick then glanced pointedly at Gobber, who got the hint.

"Sunset, you know you're like family, right?"

"Well, I have been hanging around since I was three, four years old." Sunset grinned. "I certainly think of you guys as family."

"Oh, that's good. Or else this might have been awkward." Gobber said with relief.

Sunset tilted her head to the side. "What might have been awkward?"

"You can't be living by yourself," Stoick pointed out firmly. "I'm afraid I've seen too many of your antics to be assured by the thought of you living alone."

"And since Stoick already has one hellion to handle, I thought I'd take the other." Gobber said cheerfully. "That's you, by the way."

"Thank you, for the clarification." Sunset drawled. But she couldn't stop the bright grin from crawling across her face. "And I really, really appreciate this."

"Eh, it's like Stoick said. You're like family. Someone has to keep you in line," Gobber said fondly, ruffling her hair.

Toothless cooed softly, nudging Sunset in the direction of the house. Sunset carefully got up and looked at her new caretaker hopefully. "Can I stay with Hiccup?"

"I don't see why not."

Stoick rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, push her off on me already."

"Come on Stoick, you know these two. Thor forbid if they be apart for more than six hours." Gobber joked.

Sunset giggled at their exchange and followed Toothless into the house. She entered the main room and found her best friend lying on his bed, his chest rising and falling gently. The scars he had received on his face were healing nicely. Sunset gently brushed his hair off of his forehead and settled into a wooden chair, closing her eyes with a yawn.

_You know what, Moonlight? I think leaving was the best thing you've ever done for me._

...

A few hours later, Hiccup stirred. Toothless cooed excitedly and nudged his arm, hoping to urge the boy into consciousness. Sunset, awakened by her dragon's soft squeals, rubbed her eyes and watched her best friend as he opened his eyes.

"Hi, Toothless." Hiccup said groggily, not quite processing what was happening.

Toothless licked his face eagerly and jumped on him, accidently stepping on his stomach. Hiccup jolted up with a yelp. "Easy, bud. It's good to see you too-wait, we're in my house."

The Night Fury bounced happily, knocking things over as he went. Sunset ducked to avoid his tail and giggled when Toothless ended up on the wooden rafters, eyeing his kids with joy. It was then Hiccup spotted Sunset sitting in the chair across from him. "You let him in my house?" Hiccup asked incredulously. "Does my dad know about this?"

"Oh sure, we nearly die from battling the Red Death and this is the first thing you say to me when you wake up?" Sunset asked, mock-pouting.

The recent events came back to Hiccup and he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It's great to see you, Sun."

"That's much better." Sunset smiled. "And yes, your father knows Toothless is here. He's the one who lets him in."

"Huh," Hiccup muttered. He stretched before shifting to get out of bed. A sudden frown crossed his face. He peeled back his blanket and an expression of horror, shock and fear appeared.

"What's wrong?" Sunset asked, concerned.

Hiccup swallowed hard and slowly lowered his feet to the wooden floor. Sunset closed her eyes upon seeing the metallic leg. "Oh, Hiccup."

Hiccup gripped the bedpost for support and stood up. He gritted his teeth against the unfamiliar sensation and took a step. He immediately buckled to the ground, but Toothless was there to catch him. "Thanks," Hiccup breathed.

Sunset got up and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "You'll get used to it," she assured him, helping her friend to the door. "After all, Gobber did."

Hiccup nodded, a little overwhelmed. Sunset opened the door, revealing a Monstrous Nightmare on the other side. Startled, Hiccup lunged forward and slammed the door shut. "Dragons!"

"Well, duh!" Sunset giggled. "Hiccup, we've missed quite a bit."

She opened the door again, revealing that the Monstrous Nightmare was carrying Snotlout on its back. Hiccup watched in awe as his cousin led the rest of the Viking teens into the air. He gazed around the village in amazement. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"No, stupid!" Sunset rolled her eyes.

"But I must admit, you gave it your best shot." Stoick said, happy to see his son up and about. "So, what do you think?"

Hiccup beamed as he observed dragons and Vikings interacting peacefully. His fellow tribe members spotted the duo and rushed over, cheering and singing their praises. The trip travelled down the slope to meet them, Toothless lingering behind. Sunset squeezed her friend's shoulder. "We did it, Hiccup!"

"You sure did." Stoick confirmed. "And all we needed was a little of this."

Hiccup smirked. "You just pointed to all of me."

Stoick winked. Gobber pushed his way through the crowd, grinning. "Almost all of you. That right there is my handiwork with a little Hiccup flair tossed in. What do you think?"

Hiccup studied his prosthetic leg, coming to terms with his new situation. "Eh, I might make a few adjustments."

The surrounding Vikings laughed. Astrid, who had spotted her friends from the sky, rushed over and promptly punched them both in the arm.

"Violence not necessary," Sunset whined.

"That was for scaring me," Astrid snapped.

"Is it always going to be like this?" Hiccup asked in exasperation.

Astrid answered by planting a kiss on his lips. The crowd hooted and hollered. Hiccup smiled goofily when Astrid pulled away. "Well, actually, I could get used to this."

"Where's my kiss?" Sunset asked.

"Thank you, Sun, for ruining the moment." Hiccup gave his friend a dry look. She beamed innocently back.

"Alright, alright. Break it up." Gobber joked, handing Hiccup a brand-new prosthetic tailfin and saddle. Hiccup took it, touched. "**Welcome home**," Gobber said with a smile.

"Thanks," Hiccup breathed. "I love it."

Toothless pounced on the crowd, wagging his tail happily. The Vikings who were crushed under the dragon yelped in surprise.

"Sorry!" Sunset called. "Toothless, come here!"

The Night Fury obeyed, running up to Hiccup and Sunset and nudging them affectionately. "I think he needs some exercise," Sunset grinned.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Hiccup immediately attached the new gear to Toothless and saddled up. Sunset sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Astrid got on her Deadly Nadder, a joyful grin on her face. The teens took off into the air, the wind rushing through their hair and the world spilling out before them.

As they twisted beneath bridges and around boats, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins eventually joined the flight group, led by Hiccup and Sunset. Hiccup looked at the sprawling scenery before him and smiled. "You know, other places normally have parrots or ponies as pets."

Sunset smiled, glancing at the village below. "But not us. We have..."

They finished the sentence together, with full confidence in the new world they had created would benefit everyone, especially-

"_**Dragons.**__"_

**I've decided that I will write Dragons: Riders of Berk with Sunset in them. I've already written the first seven episodes, so I don't want all that work to go to waste :P The first chapter will be up tomorrow, and the story will be titled-**_**Two Dragon Trainers and a Night Fury**_**. So keep an eye out for that xD**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Until next time,**

**AnimationNut out.**

**Peace! **


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